Lion of Light
by Vimesenthusiast
Summary: Ranma hates how his life is going, but sees no real way out of it until a strange concurrence of mystical events lets him meet Brianna Diggers in the worst way possible (though in her mind it was the best way - -;). This catapults him into the new adventures that he longed for and maybe just maybe may give him the home he always wanted as well.
1. prologue

Damn. Just damn. I didn't realize until_ the devian_ and others pointed it out to me that my formatting hadn't carried over into the online chapter, which is really weird because it was all there after I cut and pasted it in. So here is the story with format changes. Special thanks also _the devian _and _Vandenbz_ for showing me some of my writing mistakes. Does anyone know why indenting doesn't work? It makes the story look a little strange.

"speech" _Thoughts, _- scene change time change perception change

Lion of Light

Prologue

Ranma was flying through the air via Air-Akane once again. As he passed a startled pigeon, he sighed in such a depressed manner anyone who knew him would have blinked in shock. The fact that this was an unpaid ticket, i.e. one that he had not earned via the famous Saotome foot in mouth attack, was only one of the myriad things that had depressed the usually cheerful youth.

It had been a month since the Wedding Fiasco (it truly deserved the capital letters, even in his own mind), and things had gone rapidly downhill from their normal chaotic routine. First Akane had become even more violent and untrusting towards him, always screaming at him for any little thing and if he left her side for even a moment accused him of going out with 'his whores' as she called Ukyo and Shampoo.

Ranma shivered and looked around him, y_ep, still gaining altitude._ It wasn't as if her hits actually hurt, thanks to the Bakusai Tenketsu training he had recreated they barely bothered him at all but they somehow were sending him higher and farther each time, an odd combination. _Makes for good mid-air combat practice though._

_It's the untrusting aspect that really hurts. She was so nice when I arrived, and then just turned around and hated my guts when I turn out to be a guy_. No matter whose fault it was she called him a pervert and hit him. He had tried to be friends, had tried to get her to trust him but nothing worked. What love he had felt for her had died by inches. It had sometimes been fed by brief moments of kindness and concern but he had realized in the past month or so that this was not enough to keep his hope for more alive.

_Not that it matters a damn: I'm still engaged to her. The old sacks of crap that we call fathers are still harping on about how the schools must be joined, despite the decision to put off an actual wedding._ Ranma had no idea if they were both that blind and stupid, or simply had fallen into a mental rut, and at this point didn't care. As for the others…

Cologne and Shampoo were both still after him to marry the Amazon girl, only now they were using underhanded and dirty tricks every chance they got. They had not let up at all after the wedding, and it was becoming dangerous to eat anything that he did not actually help Kasumi make. _It's gettin' so bad I can't even trust any of the ice cream shops around here. Passion spice in my chocolate ice cream, yeesh! At least all the trouble with magic items and shit seems to have convinced 'em that magic ain't the answer._

Ukyo was also still after him, though she at least had given him a week to get over his rage at her interference at the wedding. He had nearly put Shampoo in traction when she showed up, instead taking his rage out on a handy Kuno, who had shown up just in time to attack the 'foul sorcerer.' Kuno had been hospitalized since then, pushing three weeks today. Ukyo was also not coming after him as aggressively, appearing to take up a waiting attitude, and perhaps reconsidering the idea they could have a future together. He was thankful for it, but still wary of her. She had used his confidences and his honor against him in the past too often. _I hope my peace offering will get her to quit altogether, but I'm not going to hold my breath._

His parents were completely insane, seeing the world in a way that only conformed to their own desires. _Mom's the one I'm most disappointed in. I've always known panda-man for an idiotic, lyin', cheatin', child-abusin' son of a bitch, but I hoped mom'd be different._ Different had proven to simply be worse _She's always harping on about manliness, without actually explaining it, and trying to run my life, just like the old man, only through words and terror rather than brute force and bitching about honor. Her ideas of manliness changes every time I talk to her, and she still carries that damn katana around…_

Suon was even worse in a way. His sheer spinelessness and laziness toward anything but the joining of the two houses was disgusting. The man barely resembled a human being, let alone a father figure or a head of a household.

His rivals were also in the mix, though the mix had changed slightly in composition. The principal was still insane, and each school day Ranma was forced to diffuse a new attack or scheme of his, and the less said about Kuno the younger the better. _At least Kodachi hasn't been around since the school year started._

His rivalry with Mousse on the other hand had changed drastically. A week after the wedding the two of them had met up while Ranma was mediating at a Shinto temple, a place he knew none of the others would think to find him near (Mousse was there to deliver a takeout order to the monks). Mousse had decided after the Saffron battle never to challenge Ranma one on one again. He was more than a little afraid of the boy who had killed a god.

Instead, the two of them had talked. Ranma for some reason poured his heart and frustrations out, possibly because of the meditation he had been doing. His lack of control over his own life, the fact that he had fallen out of love with Akane, his rage at everyone pulling at him in different directions all came out to the bespectacled Amazon male.

Mousse in turn vented his own frustrations, surprising Ranma. Mousse, despite his continual chasing of Shampoo, had changed in his time in Nerima. He no longer wanted to go back to being a mere male in a female dominated society, but did not want to give up on his quest for Shampoo. Her actions at the wedding though had severely tarnished her image in his eyes. The two had left the temple agreeing not to fight any longer, but had no clue how to take control of their lives at this point. One was trapped by culture, past and desire, the other by his own honor, family and conflicting responsibilities, none of which were of his own making.

Ryoga, his main rival for so long, still kept coming around, using his pig form to drive a wedge between himself and Akane, though Ranma had stopped caring about that so much. _What bothers me is that I know Ryoga's in a relationship with Akari, he's bragged about it a few times after all, and he's still going after Akane. He simply blames it on me, saying that he'll never rest until he has his 'revenge' on me and ignores his own dishonorable actions. He keeps on comin' up with new techniques, but none of them are really any good for anythin' but surprise. Pork-butt just ain't in my league anymore._ Since his battle with Saffron Ranma's ki reserves had grown so much that he was simply beyond Ryoga in any way, which was part of another problem growing in Ranma's mind. Ryoga was getting more and more desperate every fight though, and seemed to have completely stopped caring about who got in his way. Twice Ranma had saved normal bystanders from his breaking point shrapnel, as well as his iron cloth bandanas.

The only bright spot in Ranma's life right now was his relationship with the two older Tendo daughters.

He had always been friendly with Kasumi, but their relationship had become much closer after his mother showed up. Kasumi was the one to be there for him and listen to his problems with his parents and sometimes give him advice. She was also the one who helped him through the hardest time in his life: finding out that his girl form was fully functional.

The time he spent in girl form had finally added up, and he had gotten his first period. He was able to change forms back, but the problem merely waited for him to change back. He'd come out of his morning fight with the panda, nauseous, feeling like he was going to die and panicking because he was bleeding _down there_. Kasumi calmed him down, explained what was going on, and even how to use certain feminine products before Akane had gotten back from her run and beaten him for hanging out with her sister. _I still ain't happy about it, but I can't really complain, not after all the times my girl-form has helped me out. And it's great for scoring free eats, or was anyway. My ice cream…_

Their relationship had changed again when Kasumi had mentioned offhand that Ranma's speech was like his father's. This was something he hated, and she had offered to help him correct it. Ranma no longer sounded like an uneducated and boorish jock, at least most of the time. Everyone but his father, Suon and Akane had praised him on it. Suon never noticed, Akane didn't care, and his father felt he was wasting time he could be spending on training. _As if the old man was in shouting distance of me now without ambushing me in my sleep._

He in turn helped her out around the house and in the kitchen. Working together with her cooking became one of his favorite things to do outside of practicing his art. _Moving around one another, flowing together seamlessly toward a goal with another person is a tremendous feeling, something I've never felt before. _ He also found he liked her secretive, subtle sense of humor, as well as the willpower that Kasumi so carefully hid under her normal oblivious act. She controlled the family not with an iron first, but a grip of silk, which was far harder to escape.

_Of course, that only gave Akane another reason to be mad at me: spending time with her sister (obviously flirting) and my cooking skills are already better than hers and gettin' better. _He thought about the poundings he endured from Akane, than Kasumi's gently smiling face and bright brown eyes, the sheer joy he felt around her. _Feh, worth it._

_An' then there's Nabiki_... His relationship with the middle Tendo was rocky at best, and with far more downs than ups. That had changed over the summer before the Saffron Incident, when he had learned that he was in danger of being held back an additional year at Furinkan. He had asked Nabiki for tutoring in school, much as Kasumi was doing for him in manners and etiquette. The two had spent time together, and despite his having to pay her for the privilege, had become closer. Though again his father accused him of getting soft, despite Ranma's ability to play with him like a giant tennis ball.

Ranma had realized that the money she was getting from her various dealings did not go towards her but to keeping the family afloat. Nabiki had a desk, a small manga collection (which were confiscated from bad debts, presents or Akane), a bed and a dresser half full of clothes, most of which were hand me downs or 'borrowed' from Akane. When he compared this to the luxury and number of outfits Akane had in her room it was obvious.

It had never occurred to him that Suon's 'job' on the city council did not bring in enough money to pay for everything but Nabiki had shown him her ledger. It shocked him how much money went to feed his father and himself and to repair the dojo after fights with his various opponents.

After that, he had become a willing aid in her efforts to rake in money via betting and pictures. He posed in both forms for the one (tastefully, no more soft porn shots of either form), and went out of his way to make the fighting more interesting so that the payoff for her was bigger. Ranma also made an effort to keep fights away from the dojo, which worked until the wedding fiasco.

Given their friendship, he had listened to her explanation about her actions at the wedding.

**_Flashback:_**

Ranma waited in the tree outside Nabiki's room, his ruined wedding shirt over one arm, chest bared to the wind, as he waited in the dark for everyone to go to sleep. Nabiki had gone out earlier, and he had attempted to talk to Akane, only to take her mallet to his head so many times it was a wonder he wasn't a pancake. He had helped Kasumi clean up the dojo and the house, while his mother had dragged the old men over the coals for how they had been acting during the wedding fiasco itself. His parents had left to go back to his mother's new apartment (her old house was demolished by the Nerima Wrecking Crew) and Soun had sobbed himself to sleep over several bottles of sake.

Ranma looked up and finally saw his target entering her room. She put some money on her plain wooden desk before sitting down in her chair before finally letting her self control slip. For a moment, her look of exhaustion and sorrow almost made him rethink confronting her, but he steeled himself and moved forward lightly.

Nabiki laid her head down on the table, wondering how the day had gone so very wrong. The fact that she had no small hand in it was merely the icing on the poisoned cake. _I know I had to stop it, but was that really the best way?_

She jerked upright at the sound of her window opening. She turned and stared as Ranma slid in, standing there in her room, still wearing the tattered remnants of his tuxedo. It took all of Nabiki's vaunted willpower not to drool at the sight of his ripped chest and washboard abs. _Washboard, hell, they look like skin-covered steel. Fuck, the guy really is too hot for words! _The fact that he was looking angry and expectant did nothing to help her libido, a part of her she had suppressed through sheer strength of will for years.

She mentally shook herself and forced her eyes to remain on his face, though again his sapphire eyes did not help matters. "I presume you want an explanation Soatome." The words came out as a statement not a question.

Ranma nodded his head sharply. "I'm waiting for one because I think we're friends Nabiki. Now would you like to tell me why my friend decided to stab me in the back like this?" The words came out harder than he intended but nearly being blown to pieces and losing a chance for a cure would be enough to make anyone angry.

Nabiki smiled a little sadly. _ I really do consider Ranma a friend, the first real friend I've had for a long time. I need to say the right things here. _"Let me ask you a question Saotome were you ready to be married? I can tell you Akane wasn't. Well, she was, but for all the wrong reasons, and I think you know it."

Ranma's eye narrowed, but he was forced to concede the point. Akane's words to him earlier and before the wedding disaster confirmed that she had not been in love with him, which had been his own faint hope. Instead, she thought marrying him was a fantastic way to prove once and for all that she was better than the other women around him. _She wants to be a 'better woman and martial artist' without actually puttin' in the work and that pisses me off. It's like she saw marrying me as some kinda short cut. What the hell is with these people and treating me like a prize in an arcade game?_

Nabiki took his silence as a cue to go on. "Kasumi and I weren't involved in the planning process of the wedding until this morning Ranma. It was too late for either of us to stop it at that point. I did deliver the invitations to everyone, I admit to that, but I **really** didn't expect them to start a massive brawl. I never thought they were that crazy." She indicated the money on her desk. "This is money to pay for the damages caused. I was only able to get the Kuno's to agree to pay though. The rest of the damages will have to come out of the family budget."

Her eyes hardened perceptibly. "Don't think for one second I'd plan something like this and then be forced to pay for it out of my own hard earned cash. The chaos and destruction were not in my plans."

Ranma nodded sadly, shivering slightly at her ice-cold stare. It was true; Nabiki would never have planned something like this without some way to profit from it. _It ain't like the local insurance company will have anything to do with the Tendo home any more. She also ain't a fighter, she always wants to talk or deal. My rivals and so called fiancées however ain't exactly rational most of the time. _ "I'll try ta get the others ta pay up if that helps Nabs. But why in Buddha's name did Ryoga and the old man show up? I can't believe they'd have been invited."

Nabiki leaned back herself rubbing her temples briefly, unconsciously thrusting her chest out at Ranma, who blushed and looked away for a moment, though a small almost forgotten part of him enjoyed the view. "Pure coincidence, there were no invitations and none of us know how to get in contact with either of them anyway."

She looked at his slumped form for a moment, before going over and giving him a friendly hug. Her nipples hardened even through her shirt at the contact with his bare muscled chest, but she pointedly ignored her churning insides as she comforted him. "I'm sorry you lost your cure Ranma, I hadn't heard about it until Ryoga and Mousse showed up demanding some. If I had I would've tried to get it somewhere safe."

Surprisingly, Ranma believed her. _It would be just like pops and Suon to screw up that way, keep it a secret from us and then blab at the worst possible moment. I'll just have to continue to deal with the curse as is. _ Ranma slowly put his arms around Nabiki, hugging the shorthaired girl back, anger slowly dissipating, replaced by a growing sense of something he could not name, but which bothered the heck out of him.

**_End Flashback_**

The two of them had grown closer since then, relying and trusting in one another more than they could let on to anyone else. Nabiki had also helped him take minor revenge on his old man, the Amazons and Suon. She proved to be a master prankster, and for two weeks after the event, she and Ranma came up with small and irritating ways to make their lives hell.

She nearly got the Nekohanten closed down due to a spontaneous safety inspection. Shampoo found all her makeup and beauty supplies stolen. Genma found dead rats in his backpack and no hot water to change back for meal times. Suon's sake supply was replaced by water. The Kuno's had to deal with safety inspectors at their house, and mysterious smells in their clothing. The principal found superglue coating his sheers.

With Nabiki to think up schemes and Ranma and his umi-sen-ken to perform them, the prankster duo terrorized everyone on their list until Kasumi put her foot down. She was all for a little revenge, but the continual pranks began to affect the wa of the house (naturally the pranks against those people outside the family continued. Pranks, Ranma found were an amazing way to relieve stress). Also, the sight of Nabiki and Ranma chuckling and giggling to one another had given Akane even more reason to be angry with him, causing more property damage. Ranma thought of the beatings she gave him, then Nabiki's rare smile, how it lit up her eyes as she tried to hide her giggles behind her hand. _Feh, worth it._

Ranma also respected Nabiki's iron will. _She's got more self control than anyone else I know 'cept her older sister, but unlike Kasumi Nabs don't hide it. It's there for all to see in her emotional control, in her business dealings and her determination to help her family as much as she can._

Kasumi and Nabiki had both become family to him, far more than his own flesh and blood parents had. If not for them, he really would have run away by now, especially with how violent Akane had become after the wedding.

_It ain't like I'm pissing her off more or anything_. With Kasumi's help, he had curbed his talk first attitude, and tried to patch things up, but nothing seemed to work. _She's hitting me harder and more often for less reason every week that goes by. _ _It's as if she's turning into a masochist, enjoying my pain._

The other aspect of his current depression was very hard to understand given all the personal and emotional problems he still had to deal with on a daily basis.

_Christ I'm bored!_

His whole life was dedicated to martial arts. He lived, breathed for one thing: to push himself in the art as hard, as far as he could. He wasn't like Akane, Kuno or even the old men and Happosai, who had reached a point in their art and declared it the highest level, refusing to learn further and ignoring all evidence to the contrary. _There's always more to learn, and I ain't learning any more staying here, especially with all the crap still going on getting in the way of my training._

Ever since his fight with Saffron he had been falling into a rut, with only one thing changing since the phoenix god's death: Ranma could no longer use the soul of ice technique. Whenever he tried, he failed, and so he had been forced to give it up. He had developed a fire aura since dealing with the phoenix god, something he put down to accidentally taking in some of the phoenix's ki during their battle, and it impaired his ability to form the necessary coldness and emotional control. He had experimented with at night, the only time no one bothered him, and came up with his own technique, which he name the Soul of Fire. With it, he imbued his muscles and body with the power of flame, enhancing his speed, strength and endurance much like he could already do with ki but even more so. It did not help with his emotions or self-control like the soul of Ice. If anything, it made his emotions more out of control than before, but he could keep it up longer and was now faster and stronger than ever before. And because of his exercises with it, his ki reserves had also grown exponentially. _Bet I could give Herb a run for his money in that department. Now if __**he**__ turned up it'd liven things up a bit._

_As it is, none of my rivals or fiancées can touch me except in large groups. Cologne's no match for me, she ain't been since before Saffron. Now I'm so much better than her it ain't even funny, and the old ghoul is either blind to it, or wants ta possess me even more 'cause of it. _Happosai had not been seen since the wedding, so Ranma did not yet know how he would fare against the ancient grandmaster, but he thought he'd fare just as well against him as against Cologne.

What Ranma truly craved deep in his heart was to have a supportive family to come home to and adventures that would push him to grow greater in the Art. He was not getting either of those things anymore here, if in fact he had ever had them in the first place. His abusive home life and lack of freedom was slowly gnawing into his self control to the point where even he was starting to notice it.

Something had to give soon, he just wished he could figure out what. With a sigh the martial arts prodigy turned in mid air, feeling his now down ward momentum, cancelling and channeling it in bursts, making his way towards his target, a park on the outskirts of Nerima.

* * *

Nabiki looked up from her morning soak in the bath, her dreams of hard muscles, sapphire eyes and laughter giving way to a wave of annoyance at Akane's cry of "pervert!"

She sighed wistfully as she levered herself out of the bath. _It's not like I've seen enough to take it past the making out stage. I have to 'accidentally' walk in on him in the bath one of these days like my 'dear' little sister. But maybe Akane has gotten fed up with him again.._.

Her thought was reflective but heartfelt: that her sister would at last do the unthinkable again and pass her fiancée off to Nabiki, as she had nearly a year ago. _Only this time, I won't be so afraid of the other girls and commitment. No way am I going to let Ranma go again._

The thought was only half true and she knew it. At the time, Nabiki had yet to get to know Ranma the man, rather than Ranma the dependent. Sure he had been good looking but what did that matter? That was a long time ago though, and she, at least had learned to see the good in Ranma: he was kind, gentle, honorable in a quirky fashion despite the ruin his father had made of his life and family honor, intelligent and driven to excel at anything, once he saw the point in doing so. She figured this out when he came to her for tutoring sessions: he admitted to having only been in school for a few months his entire life before coming to Nerima, yet he was still passing (though barely) all of his classes. That both shocked and impressed her.

_Ranma also has a decent sense of humor, and is a good listener._ They had stayed up dozens of times after tutoring sessions and just talked, sharing their lives with one another. Nabiki had introduced him to fantasy novels, mangas and music, all of which were things his father never allowed him to have on the road.

_He's also the most exciting thing that ever happened to me._ Despite the turmoil, she had enjoyed most of his time in their house, save his constant arguments with Akane, and the added strain of managing the family budget which was mostly caused by the constant repair work on the house and dojo, as well as his father's appetite for food. _The fact that father and the fat panda also drink their weight in sake every night also hurts our budget._

After getting dressed into her school uniform, she walked out to breakfast, finding her younger sibling, still clutching her mallet and nearly incandescent with fury. She looked up and noticed the large hole in the porches cupola. Quickly adding the cost of repair up in her mind, she glared at Akane. "That's a good 10,000 yen you owe me little sister. I will remind you **again** to reign in your temper around the house."

Akane glared back at her. "Blame Ranma for it Nabiki, it's his fault for not eating my cooking."

Nabiki had been trying to avoid looking at the table. Plates of brown, steaming something and unidentifiable vegetable products were sitting there, along with what looked to be Kasumi-made rice balls. She reached down and plucked one of the rice balls, leaning back quickly. _I swear that brown gunk moved for a second!_

Nabiki glanced into the kitchen to see Kasumi already hard at work cleaning up the mess the youngest Tendo had once again made of her kingdom. Kasumi looked up and sighed sadly at Nabiki, who nodded in turn. She could feel the sadness in the air of the house, the wa responding to its mistresses distress.

She looked around noticing that the two supposed men of the house had vacated the premises already, before turning back to Akane. "I don't doubt for a moment he didn't want to eat your meal, but that's no reason to belt him one and certainly no reason to cause more damage to our home. We're still paying off the bill for the dojo's rebuilding and you still haven't paid for the last five holes you made."

Akane blanched visibly at the Ice Queen's glare, but she shook it off. "it's Ranma's fault. If he wasn't such a pervert I wouldn't have to correct him all the time."

Nabiki sighed, suddenly weary. _Ancestors, I need more coffee and patience to deal with Akane than with the yakuza. Of course, I had Ranma backing me up then…_ "That's just it Akane, you never think, you never stop, and you never **listen!** He's tried to have better manners, he's tried to be nicer to you and not argue with you, and he's even tried to solve his problems with the other fiancées. He has been trying constantly for the last month." _Without much success admittedly, except possibly in Ukyo's case, though he did make peace with Mousse, that's a plus._ "And I've yet to see you put forth even the tiniest bit of effort to get along with him!"

Akane's aura flared up again, filling the room with a red flickering light. "Why the hell should I help that pervert when he won't even eat my meals! I bet he's off right now somewhere with one of those hussies! The perverted freak, I can't trust him for a minute! And if you're so determined to defend him then"

Nabiki's voice was as cold as an icicle as she cut off her sisters rambling. "Alright." Akane stopped, her aura guttering out in the face of Nabiki's icy tone. "You were just about to give him away again weren't you? I'll take him Akane, if that's what you want." It actually hurt to think of Ranma as something that could be passed back and forth like that these days, but she stifled that feeling and glared at Akane who backed away shaking her head. "But understand me Akane. If you give Ranma to me again, you won't get him back this time." With that Nabiki walked out the door on her way to school, leaving behind a very confused and suddenly shell-shocked sibling.

* * *

Kasumi smiled to herself in her ruined kitchen, having heard the entire exchange. She could not bring herself to join in, but had been grateful that at least Nabiki had learned that Ranma had many good points. She herself had long ago realized she was falling in love with him.

Initially Kasumi had judged the cursed boy by his age and seeming immaturity. But as time went on and she learned more about him, she realized most of his immaturity was caused by his father, a man who, she felt, deserved a special place in hell for the tortures he had put Ranma through.

She at first had considered him something between a project (how to civilize the Wild Horse) and a little brother. That feeling had morphed when she allowed herself to see him as a young man, and not a boy. _After all, _she thought now, _Boys are feckless, lazy, hormonally obsessed and oftentimes egotistical. Ranma is kind, selfless, and above all driven in a way very few men are, even if he has an ego in his chosen field. He has a goal, to be the best martial artist he can personally be, and has dedicated his life to it. He is also inherently honorable and selfless to a fault. Yet all most people see is a tool or a prize, not the man he has become since arriving here. _It gave Kasumi a warm fuzzy feeling inside to think that she had played a part in that growth.

Alas, with Ranma engaged to her younger sister, she was in no position to act on her feelings. Yet she was becoming increasingly concerned, remembering the morning's incident. _Ranma is becoming closer and closer to the edge of his patience with Akane and the other fiancées, I can see it in his eye, in how he stands and holds himself, feel it in the wa when he is at home, and that worries me_. She knew for a fact he was many times stronger than any of them or his rivals, and the thought of a berserk Ranma was a frightening one. _Thankfully, he has not entered the neko-ken in the past few months. _ _I hope my teachings help him control himself. While I have lost all respect for Akane and father, they are still family and I would not like to see them or anyone else hurt or worse._

She sighed aloud as she heard the door slam again after Akane's departure. Perhaps she should take a bath now. _Hopefully, Akane's meal will have evolved legs and escaped by the time I'm done..._

* * *

Half a world away, Brianna Diggers, clone copy of Brittany and Gina Diggers was trying to sneak herself and her best friend Genn past Gina's lab to the teleporter. They had found out yesterday that Stripe had finally bit the bullet and proposed to Brittany while the family was in Eden for a picnic.

Brianna was devastated, but had hid it well, knowing deep down that her crush on Stripe was nothing but the remnants of Brittany's personality amalgamated with her own. Still, she really needed to blow off some steam, and had convinced (threatened him with a 96- hour sex-marathon) Genn to come with her to the Dragon Palace, where she could shoot super powered baddies to her heart's content.

Her attempt was futile as Gina exited her lab just in time to catch the two of them heading out. "Brianna perfect timing. I need someone to head to Japan and pick up some specialized parts for me I ordered. They refuse to ship them because of the added expense (and several international laws heh), and I can't get away from my work just now. My new time-lapse research is at a crucial stage. Can you go please? Please? Pretty please?"

Brianna groaned as her sister used the whiny voice and puppy face on her. _Just once I wish I could do that, but noooo, my face has to have just enough cat to it that I can't pull off the puppy face._ She still tried to get away, but her resistance was futile. After ten minutes of concentrated whining, she gave up. "Alright already I'll go on your stupid errand."_ After all, I can just buy the parts, and then head from Japan to the dragon tower._

Behind Brianna, Genn heaved a sigh of relief. He was still not sanguine about the original target of their jaunt. He knew Brianna had not given up on it, but at least this would postpone it, giving him more time to talk to her about what was really bothering her. Brianna and Genn moved to stand in the teleporter, and with the sound of the Star Trek teleporter ringing in their ears (not from the actual device but from a special speaker set into the ceiling) found themselves standing in one of Gina's labs, located in Tokyo Japan.

* * *

Ranma jumped over the Tendo dojo's wall, body incased in his own version of the umi-ken-sen. He breathed a sigh of relief and released the technique as his senses told him panda man™, waterworks factory™ and angry tomboy(patent pending) were no longer on the premises. He moved into the dining room and sighed at the mess. He listened for a moment and could hear humming coming from the furo. He nodded. _I would have wanted a bath before tackling this mess myself, that is if I didn't have my katchu tenshin Amaguriken, Heh. _He moved swiftly, using his Amuguriken technique to speedily clean up the dining room, dispose of Akane's science experiment (no way was he going to call that cooking, not in a house Kasumi cooked in) and clean up the kitchen. After a final second of looking around to make certain he had cleaned everything he reached into his pocket.

Ranma and Mousse had fought so often that he had been able to copy the hidden weapons technique. He did not use it in battle, as he didn't like weapons, but to carry stuff it was very useful. Reaching into his ki pocket he pulled out a full set of pots and pans he had purchased a week ago. Ranma had planned to give it to Kasumi for a birthday present (nice, useful unromantic and safe, which amounted to the same thing) but looking at the destroyed remnants of the kitchens set, realized they would be needed now.

Ranma wrote up a note and put it on the dining table before racing up and grabbing a towel out of the closet. Using his new heart of fire technique, he warmed it slightly, so that it felt as if it had just come out of the dryer. He stealthily placed it on top of the towels already in the changing room, and then left as quietly as he had arrived, heading to school. He knew from experience that if he didn't show up at some point Akane was going to beat him down even harder that evening.

He arrived just in time to be late for second period. _Thank god Hinako sensei is home with a cold, no ki-draining vampire today!_

* * *

Kasumi felt someone enter her house. Her control of the wa allowed her much of the same sensitivity in her own domain that Ranma's ki senses gave him. She identified the newcomer as Ranma, but allowed herself to enjoy her bath. After ten more minutes, she exited the furo. She reached for a towel and smiled in simple pleasure at its warmth. Wrapping it around herself, she exited the changing area, knowing that no one was home. Even if someone were to come home, the house itself would warn her and keep them away long enough for her to get changed.

Kasumi came downstairs from changing and looked around lips forming a mischievous smile. She remembered how hard Ranma had trained to use the Amazon speed technique, and the idea of him using it to clean tickled her fancy. She looked in the kitchen and was surprised to see a new set of pans and knives already in place. _Ranma must have bought them with his own money,_ She thought wonderingly. It was things like this, when his innate kindness came out, that had made her fall for him. _And the fact that he is one of the hottest men you've ever met or even seen doesn't hurt, now does it?_

Kasumi smirked in a way Nabiki would have recognized immediately at that thought as she picked up the small note from the table.

Kasumi, sorry about the hole in the awning. I'da tried her food, but Akane didn't even wait for me ta speak before hitting me into orbit. I cleaned up as best I could. Sorry if it's not up to your standards. I replaced the pans 'n stuff. Hope you like them. If you want, I can help you use 'em to make dinner tonight. See ya,

Ranma

Kasumi sighed aloud, holding the card to her chest as her smirk widened to a full smile. She realized that she was looking forward to making dinner together with Ranma. Kasumi knew it was wrong to have these feelings for her youngest sisters fiancée, but could no longer stop herself. _Oh, Ranma, whatever are we going to do?_

* * *

Ranma cursed from his perch on Kuno's head. The idiot had thought that just by slashing a sword around, he could overcome his huge disadvantage in skill. It had not worked today, or ever, but Kuno kept on attacking every morning and at lunch, like now.

Still Ranma had made the fight last a bit, a note from Nabiki having informed him what amount of time would give her the most money. After this morning, he knew the money would be needed to fix up after Air-Akane again. The regular lunchtime battle would do for a start.

What had caused Ranma's curse was the sight of Ryoga barreling toward him, umbrella first. He could also see the principal making his way from the main building. Behind him he sensed Shampoo, Mousse and Cologne's aura's entering the schools ground. _Looks like its going to be one of those days._

"Ranma, for the discourtesy you have shown Akane, prepare to die!" Ryoga thrust forward, and Ranma jumped over the umbrella, only to almost be hit by Ryoga's new weapon, a large metal mace. Ryoga swiftly dropped his umbrella and took out another, and started swinging them in a complicated ark.

Ranma dodged, analyzing Ryoga's new style. _Same as normal, all power, no finesse. The new weapons'll make this more fun than usual but no real threat, he's still too slow and uncoordinated._ His musings were interrupted as a coconut bomb went off next to him. He used the thermal blowback to launch himself into the air and away from Ryoga's mad charge. _And here comes Kuno 2, today is just going __**great!**_ He thought sarcastically.

He flipped himself in midair, landing and facing all his opponents and the newly arrived Amazons. Ranma charged forward, getting in under Ryoga's guard and slamming his palms into both his arms, numbing his hands. Ryoga was forced to let go of his new maces, but instead of retreating Ryoga pulled out something from his pocket and looped it around Ranma's outstretched hand where he had planted it on the ground.

Mission accomplished Ryoga jumped back with a wide grin on his face and seemed to wait for something. The principal rushed in slashing away at Ranma with his clippers as he pushed off from the ground one handed, looking at the thing Ryoga had looped around his wrist.

The amulet glinted in the sun, two rubies inset into a silver dragon, the bracelet made to look like the dragons body, with the catch where the tail met the mouth. Looking at it, Ranma groaned. Every time he dealt with anything associated with dragons it meant he was in deep shit.

Behind him, Kuno regained consciousness and immediately rushed to join the fight, attacking both Ranma and his father indiscriminately. Ranma kept dodging still looking at the bracelet.

Ryoga looked on in frustration for a moment before rushing forwards to rejoin the fight. _The old ghoul said that this bracelet could defeat anybody, but it's not working. I'll just have to kill Ranma the old-fashioned way. _ Ryoga sighed, depressed, beginning to work up to his ki attack, the Shi Shi Hokodan.

Cologne scowled from her vantage point. Ryoga was brimming with depressive ki and she cursed as she noticed the dragon bracelet on Ranma's wrist. The fool male had been hiding in pig form in the Nekohanten when Mousse had clumsily knocked the box containing the Vow to the floor. Shampoo had been curious and Cologne told her about the Vows ability to defeat any opponent. The fool boy had taken that to mean that it must be placed on the opponent rather than what it truly meant. "Damn the idiot. That is not how the Dragon's Vow is used. Shampoo, Mousse, try to get the bracelet off son-in-law, knock him out first if you have to. Do not allow any of these outsiders to realize what is going on. We must retrieve the Vow as quickly as possible."

Shampoo grinned and pulled out her bonbori's immediately, rushing forward. Fighting her Airen always gave the Amazon a thrill.

Mousse did not follow and Cologne looked at him in anger. "Get going male!"

Mousse shook his head and sat down. "I think I'll wait until the battle is over old one. After all, once Ranma realizes Ryoga stole the bracelet from us in the first place, he'll return it to us."

Cologne scowled. Mousse had been acting more and more independent of late, and it did not sit well with her, but she had no time to argue with him. _I have to get the Vow back before it starts to respond to Ranma. Who knows what will happen then with son-in-laws chaotic effect on magic?_ Grimly she moved forward joining the fight. The thought of simply asking Ranma to return the vow as Mousse suggested never occurred to her.

None of the fighters or even the bystanders noticed a single figure on top of the school's roof. Hikaru Gosunkugi smiled and waved the neko-rod. The rod, based off necromantic magic, stored ghosts of the animal it represented inside it, putting them under the control of its creator. It had taken him months to create, let alone gather the necessary ingredients. Now he swung it into the air, his stick thin arms quivering as he sent the cat ghosts he had enslaved after Ranma.

Ranma staggered, barely dodging Kuno's sword and twisted his body to avoid Cologne's staff. He had no idea why the old bitch had decided to involve herself, and didn't really care. He was slowing down and he knew it even if his enemies had yet to figure it out. _This damn bracelet is draining my ki reserves. Still, it makes this fight harder, and at least I'm not bored anymore. (_Sometimes his ability to look on the bright side was a bit scary.)

Ranma kicked the principal into Cologne's path and backed away for a second. For one brief instant, he looked toward the school, and saw the wave of cats coming toward him. Only the fact that he could also see right through them kept him from panicking and running in terror. _Oh shit!_ _WTF!?_

The ghost cats entered the growing melee, and suddenly what had been a decent fight was rapidly becoming a fight for not only his limbs and life, but his very sanity.

* * *

On the edge of the track field Nabiki and the rest of the school looked on with mixed emotions. Some were rooting for Ranma (most of the girls, who all thought he was the hottest boy in the school) while others were hoping that today would be the day Ranma lost (all the boys in the former 'beat/date Akane' mob).

Nabiki herself was very worried and not about money at this point. She had just enough ki sense to realize something had just entered the fight and it was targeting Ranma. Colgone's involvement and her viciousness was also a surprise. _The old Amazon is clearly trying her best to at least incapacitate Ranma, but why? _

Nabiki feared this was a sign of heightened aggression on the part of the Amazons. _Maybe they've decided to use brute force where persuasion and underhanded tricks have failed._ _Though if what little Ranma told me about what happened at Jusendo is true, they must be insane to think it will work._

She began to make her way around the field to where she saw Mousse sitting down and watching the action, glad he was not involved in the scuffle. _I need some answers, and Duck-boy will supply them for me or else!_

Halfway there she looked on in shock to see her little sister marching towards the fight determinedly. She was about to charge forward to grab her sister and get her out of there, but she saw Ukyo already making a beeline for her. Nabiki weighed up her own ability to convince her sister to leave against the danger of moving herself that close to the melee and turned away, moving again through the crowd around the edge of the field.

* * *

Ukyo grabbed Akane's arm, dragging the other girl to a halt. "What the hell do you think you're doing, sugar?" She looked at the melee and was stunned anew at the speeds Cologne and Ryoga were moving, much less Ranma. _They are so out of my league it's scary. Shampoo's outclassed as well, though she doesn't seem to realize it, same as Akane if she thinks she can make a difference in this fight._

Akane ripped her arm out of the cook's grip. "What do you think? I'm going to either stop them fighting or hammer Ranma into the ground for them. How can you stand watching him flirt with that Amazon hussy or pick on poor Ryoga?"

Ukyo stared in disbelief. _Nabiki told me Akane's been getting worse since the wedding, but I didn't really believe it, now I do_. Before she could try to explain reality to Akane, Ranma landed right in front of them.

He was gasping for air and barely had time to shake his head, not even noticing the two girls were behind him. "Crap, this fight's harder than eatin' Akane's cookin'." Ukyo gulped at the huge rage aura that flared up from the girl she had tried to save.

Akane's voice rose into a scream as her ki-mallet appeared, black and ugly with hate and rage. "Why don't you just die pervert!" She smashed forward hammering her mallet into Ranma's back.

Before Ranma could even blink the force of the sudden blow sent him right into Kuno's outstretched blade. The blade slid into his stomach and out his back as he was propelled onto it via Akane's mallet. Blood spurted out his back and onto Akane's face and clothing.

The other fighters stopped, appalled. Ryoga was shocked at what he had seen. He was besotted with Akane, but seeing her attack from behind an opponent already engaged in a life or death struggle so viscously tore his illusions away, however momentarily. Some part of his mind tried to blame it on Ranma, but for now could not override the evidence in front of his eyes.

Shampoo covered her mouth in horror, her weapons dropping to the ground as she backed away, tears forming as she watched the death of her husband.

From his vantage point, Mousse gasped in horror and moved forward, but he too knew he would be too late to save his friend.

Cologne looked up from where a blow from Ranma had planted her. One look told her she would never be able to save son-in-laws life. She had seen wounds like that before, and knew Ranma was dying as he stood there. _His stomach and gut are pierced through, no amount of healing or medicine can help him now._

Principal Kuno blanched. He had never seen so much blood before and he backed off, his sheers falling to the ground as he shook his head, trying to escape the image in front of him.

His son on the other hand simply grinned and stood back, staring at his opponent with maddened eyes. _At last, the foul sorcerer has fallen to my blade!_ He exulted, _and it was with the aid of the virtuous Akane, what could be sweeter?_

As for Akane, she looked at the blood covering her and the inch of steel protruding from Ranma's back in shock. Beside her Ukyo did the same, but deep down a rage began to boil as her eyes flicked from the tableau of Ranma still standing there and Akane, her mallet slowly falling to the ground from her now powerless hand.

The audience too was in shock, some screaming, fainting, others yelling and shouting while most simply seemed frozen. Nabiki had frozen too, barely halfway around the track, only her supreme self-control keeping her from screaming in loss and sorrow.

* * *

For his part, Ranma stood stunned for a moment, more pain than he had felt since the neko-ken training running through him. He spared a brief look of shock at Kuno and then Akane, whose face had slipped from a rictus of rage and hate to one of shock.

_Damn it Akane, can't you ever look before swinging? No time._ Ranma's mind was moving like quicksilver, even as his life and ki continued to drain out of him and the ghost cats moved in for the kill. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he sent his consciousness deep inside himself, searching. _Ranma Saotome don't lose._

To the astonishment of the onlookers he began to glow orange and red, mixed with his usual blue aura. The aura became larger and larger, literally pushing everyone around him away like a giant moving wall. Suddenly he burst into flames!

Nabiki and the others looked on in horrified awe as they watched him burn.

Ranma didn't know what the bracelet was doing and at the moment, he didn't care. He reached into it too, pulling what ki he could back out of it, not realizing that the type of ki had changed, knowing it might not be enough.

The flames burned brighter, hotter than the sun, as he tried to copy a technique he had seen only once. _ Ranma don't lose, I ain't done, not yet, no how._

His eyes glowed with life energy, more power than any normal human could ever have controlled as he turned his gaze to the heavens, shouting, "Phoenix Pyre!"

The flames arched out burning and consuming the ghost cats, pulling them in to feed itself. The bracelet glowed with power adding to the conflagration as everyone was forced to turn aside from the glare.

No one not even Cologne had any idea of what was happening. The conflagration continued for a few minutes before slowly dying away. She looked on fearfully to see what had happened, expecting to see a large pile of ash where son-in-law had been. Everyone else simply expected to see a crispy corpse. A few were even looking forward to it.

What they saw shocked all of them. Ranma was gone and something new stood there, the sword Kuno had been using melted away to a puddle of metal at his feet. It was wearing the remnants of Ranma's shirt and pants, which had been stretched and torn by the transformation. A long curling tail reached the ground. White fur with covered his body, interspersed with red highlights under the eyes, at the knees and on the back of his palms. A mane of black hair crowned the image of what could only be called a cat man. Everyone who looked at him saw a cross between man and lion, a thought emphasized by the lithe way the being moved, stretching and opening his mouth. "Meow?"

Prologue end


	2. Chapter 1 this is your brain

Disclaimer: me no own. And let me just say to anyone who has been reading my stories thank you for persevering through without the scene breaks. Thank you all.

**Chapter One: This is your Brain. This is your brain on catnip.**

Nabiki and the other onlookers watched in awe as 'Ranma?' stretched and moved, falling to all fours. Her breath caught in her throat at how amazing he looked. _Regular Ranma is hot as hell, but this is something else_! Every other girl looking at him was thinking the exact same thing. Where before Ranma had been short for his age (due to malnutrition caused by his idiotic father during their thirteen year training trip) he now stood a little over six feet. He had muscles on muscles though he was no brawny body builder, still looking like a swimmer crossed with a gymnast, as if his previous body had simply been expanded to fill out his new height. His shirt had torn, revealing to the onlookers his ripped chest and rock hard abs, as well as hinting at even more goodies underneath the remaining rags. His new fur coloring of white mixed with red was striking.

Ranma suddenly disappeared from where he had been stretching, appearing in front of the Kuno's and Ryoga. With a series of open palm smacks and kicks, all three flew backwards, only Ryoga keeping his feet.

The lost boy grabbed up his umbrella from the ground nearby and thrust forward. "Damn it Ranma, why can't you die like a normal person!"

Ranma negligently flicked his hand out and batted the umbrella away, reaching out and slashing at Ryoga with the other. The lost boy fell to the ground, blood spurting up from hundreds of tiny slashes Ranma's ki claws had caused in that brief instant. The pain, like that of a thousand paper cuts, was so intense even the official tank of the Nerima Wrecking Crew was overcome and he was unconscious before his head hit the ground.

Ukyo gasped from her position next to Akane and began to move forward only to be tackled to the ground by Mousse. "Stay down for the love of Hera! He's not in his right mind!"

Ukyo gulped, remembering what happened when Ranma had entered the neko-ken. If this was more of the same… She nodded hurriedly, and Mousse got off her, keeping himself between Ukyo, Akane and Ranma's new form.

Cologne was astounded. She had never seen anything like this before. By all rights, the boy should be dead, but he had somehow resurrected himself like Saffron the Phoenix God, and now looked like one of the were-creatures who had long ago left this plane.

For just an instant her mind filled with doubt, remembering the tall tale Mousse had concocted about what had happened at Jusendo. _If that story was true…_ Cologne shook her head dispelling such a thought. _There is no way a male could do what the entire Amazon counsel together could not. There must be another explanation_. Her eyes narrowed, glimpsing the Dragon's Vow bracelet still on Ranma's wrist.

Shampoo stood looking at her Airen in lust-filled awe. _A husband like this will bring much honor to me when I return to the tribe. And our children will be soooo cute!_

Ranma stood still for a moment by the unconscious body of Ryoga before turning to look around at the crowd of onlookers. A low growl could be heard as he looked around, and many people began to edge backwards.

Nabiki shook her head, clearing her mind from the dirty thoughts that had assailed it. She moved forward through a patch of grass littered with kunai and throwing stars (from Cologne and the principal) only to stumble back with a shriek as Ryoga's umbrella fell out of the sky to bury itself in the ground right in front of her foot.

Instead of the ground and the kunai she had feared Nabiki found herself falling back into something furry and soft.

All the onlookers blinked in surprise. None of them, not even Cologne had seen Ranma move. One moment he was standing on all fours in the center of the track meet looking around, the next he was behind Nabiki, cradling her against his leonine chest.

Nabiki blinked at the sensation of being caught by Ranma. Akane was the one always playing the damsel in distress, and she had never gotten into the habit. _It feels nice though._

She twisted her neck to look behind her, finding her gaze immediately locked by silver-flecked blue eyes, which stared back at her. Ranma's face twisted in feline concern and he bumped his forehead against hers meowing inquiringly.

Nabiki tried to get control of herself, blushing red at how close he was, and the feel of his hard body pressed up all along her back. Her voice cracked as she replied to his unvoiced question. "I-I'm fine Ranma. A-are you in control in there?"

She knew the answer almost without asking. There was concern there, but no human intelligence behind those cat eyes. _That aura I saw enter the fight from the direction of the school must have something to do with his new from, which is obviously connected to the neko-ken_. _And Ranma has no control over the neko-ken._

Ranma's answer was a deep basso purr that seemed to reverberate out of his cavernous chest and directly into her own body. His face cleared of concern and he nuzzled into the back of her neck, breathing in her scent and purring.

Nabiki's mind almost stopped working at this point as she felt him nip at her neck lightly causing her to shiver. She also felt something huge and hard making its presence felt against her butt. _Oh-shit._ Part of her mind began to jabber insistently about there being a time and place for such things, the crowd, the public area they were in, the dangers she would run into from his Fiancées and her own sister…

Then something else happened.

Nabiki would be the first person to tell you she was no martial artist. In fact, she would be the last; everyone else in Nerima would tell you that even faster than she could. Yet she did come from a long line of martial artists and warriors. She had some ki sense, and was an expert at emotional control via ki. As Ranma continued to hold her in his powerful arms, she felt Ranma's ki aura somehow reach out and connect to her own.

She had never felt anything like it, but had to bite back a moan at the sensation and the continued feeling of Ranma nipping at the back of her neck. She felt her own aura change just slightly, as if he had marked her somehow, and she wondered what was going on here. Her musings were interrupted again as she felt him run his tongue slowly up the side of her neck.

She gasped, pushing back at him unconsciously while her logical mind fought with her instinct and libido in a winner take all battle for supremacy.

Suddenly she found herself on the ground, eyes still closed in rapture. She hadn't even felt the impact. Nabiki had to shake her head several times to regain control enough to look around for her suddenly disappearing backrest.

Shampoo had been brimming with proprietary rage at her Airen saving another girl. She grew angrier as she watched the two grinding and practically making out with each other. After a few seconds, despite Cologne's warning arm on her shoulder, she could no longer contain herself. She stalked forward picking up her bonbori's and striding toward her Airen and the mercenary-bitch, intent on separating the two by force.

Before she got halfway there, she found herself facing an enraged were-man. She blinked and suddenly her bonbori's heads fell off their shafts, sliced into slivers by Ranma's ki attack. She stared uncomprehending at her Arien, who stared back, fangs barred and snarling in rage. She stammered "Airen, what wrong, it me your Shampoo!"

Ranma snarled taking a four-legged stance again growling as his fur stood on end.

Suddenly Mousse was between them, arms outstretched and weapons ready. Regardless of his waning feelings toward Shampoo, he still would not allow her to come to harm.

Cologne landed on her stick by Shampoo as well, holding the girl back. "Don't child, son-in" Ranma jumped forward slashing at the ground, forcing all three to jump back.

Cologne hastily corrected herself. _The boy is obviously in his neko-ken berserk mode, anything he usually disliked will no doubt set him off._ "Ranma is not in his right mind."

Ukyo glanced up from where she was still on the ground next to a comatose Akane. She nodded, but did not try to get up. The last time Ranma had gone neko-ken Akane had been the only one to calm him down. Now though, with how she had just helped to 'kill' him, she had no idea who was going to do it this time. She knew it wouldn't be her, and wasn't willing to try. The last time she had, she had her bandolier and uniform shredded and her large battle spatula used as a chew toy. It took her days to straighten it out again. _Nope, laying here on the nice soft ground is where I want to be right now thanks. Although with the way they were acting a second ago, maybe Nabiki could give it a try. Or his mom could if she was here._

Ranma growled angrily at the old Amazon and her daughter before switching his cat-eyed gaze to Mousse.

Mousse steeled himself. He knew he had no chance against Ranma on a good day, let alone in the neko-ken, but he would try.

After a few seconds Ranma seemed to snort before sauntering away to gaze down at Akane and Ukyo.

Ukyo stared at her best friend as he stood before the two girls on all fours. After a moment of staring down at the comatose Akane, neko-Ranma snarled, spat on the ground in front of her and jumped away, clearing the distance from the middle of the track field to the school fence in a single leap.

There he posed for a moment, stretching his lithe form and meowing loudly, before jumping away.

* * *

"I can't believe this item list Genn can you?" Brianna exited a small obscure store in Nerima, having gotten explicit directions from her sister. She would never have been able to find the magic ingredients shop otherwise. She held the door open for her friend, exiting behind her.

Genn had two packages under his arms, though both were smaller than the one Brianna held. He (in his neuter form) nodded his head in agreement, thanking his lucky stars that Brianna had allowed them to leave behind the weapons she had planned to bring to the Dragon Tower. "I know. What the heck is she going to use all of these magical ingredients for: A soul gem, five spools of enchanted thread, dozens of potion ingredients and magical metals?" _ Though the owner's continual cracks about not believing in any magic stuff was damn funny._

Brianna nodded back. "And on top of that top-of-the-line computer parts, a new interface unit, and five custom motherboards of varying sizes. If I didn't know any better I'd say Gina got her list confused with dads. As if he would ever allow her to shop for him!"

Genn joined her laughter, extremely pleased with how the day had gone thus far. _With any luck, by the time we get back and drop our purchases back home Brianna will be too tired to head to the Dragon Tower as she planned, giving me more time to get her to talk to me._

Rounding a corner on their way to the lab Brianna slammed into a Chinese man coming out of the Nekohanten. One of the packages he been holding burst open at the impact, letting a fine mist out into the air and into Brianna's face.

She inhaled at the impact breathing in some of the strange cloud. Brianna gasped, her whole body going rigid for a second before she reached down and helped the man to his feet. Genn peered around her. "Sorry about that, I guess neither of us was watching where we were going."

The man apologized as well, bowing in the Japanese manner and the two went on their way. The man shook his head, thanking the fates that the woman with the odd cat tattoo on her face wasn't one of the areas martial artists. Shampoo would have to wait for her catnip now. Why the pretty young girl wanted it in the first place the Chinese deliveryman had no clue. (In fact, Shampoo wanted the catnip to help her attract Ranma after he went neko-ken. She thought if he did not respond to drugs in his human mind, he might in his cat persona. An idea, shall we say with several holes in it.)

After a few steps, Brianna stumbled against a wall for a moment shaking her head.

Genn looked at her in concern. "Are you alright Brianna? That stuff you inhaled isn't doing anything to you is it?"

Brianna looked at her friend a sleepy, sexy grin crossing her face as she leaned forward. "Nah, I''mmmm ooookay. How about we hurry back and I show you how fiiinnee I am. I feel another marathon cuuminng onnnnnnn." The half werecat giggled uncontrollably a few minutes, leaning against her smaller companion.

Genn groaned but went with the flow for now. _ Sex is certainly more preferable than mindless violence. Isn't it?_ Remembering how exhausted he was after the last time Brianna caught him, he began to have some doubts.

With each passing minute however, Brianna became more amorous and more unsteady on her feet. _There's no way we can get back to Gina's mini lab at this rate. What was that stuff?_

Next to him, Brianna moved away suddenly, mouth open and head moving from side to side as she inhaled the air. She purred, letting lose the most cat-like sound Genn had ever heard from her. Before he could stop her, she dropped her bag, turned, and jumped into the air, alighting on all fours atop the roof of the building they were walking past. She paused there for a second, orienting herself, and then sped off, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

Genn groaned aloud, before changing form to his muscular male body and grabbing her bag. With an oath, he jumped to the rooftops, left the bags there and went after his friend, who was already almost out of sight.

* * *

Let us now journey into the mind of Brianna. It is a strange place, filled with diverse weapons of destruction both large and small, images of her family, experiments and Stripe. Her libido consists of about 68% of her brain, and the rest is evenly divided between ideas for bombs, guns, science experiments and normal functions. Right now, however most of this mind is out of service.

The catnip affected her slowly due to her only being half were-cheetah, but effect her it had. Brianna was stoned out of her mind, overpowered completely by her cat side for the first time in her short life.

Brianna the cat was feeling incredibly frisky. She would have settled for friend-toy to scratch her itch, except a scent on the breeze hinted at an alpha male around here somewhere. Meowing happily, she went off in search of this alpha, hoping he would help her with her growing need.

Within ten minutes of starting her search, Brianna-cat found her target, and what a target it was! A large alpha cat was bouncing along the rooftops or Nerima, pausing occasionally to look around. He obviously did not have Brianna-cats nose, or just was not paying attention, so she meowed loudly to attract his notice, jumping toward him.

The man-cat heard and turned making a beeline toward her. When they arrived at the same roof, Brianna-cat shivered in pleasure at the scent and sight of the man-cat before her. He was even more of an alpha than the striped-one who belonged to her littermate: he was larger, just as handsome, and was giving off enough pheromones to knock out a herd of elephants!

Inside her mind, the tiny part of Brianna that was still her normal self lost it upon seeing the male cat god in front of her. Even in her normal mind, Brianna's libido was one of her driving forces. Now her conscious mind, rather than fighting for control began to encourage Brianna to rock this werecat's world.

For a few moments, the two cats rubbed against one another transferring each other's scents, all the while meowing and purring as they removed one another's clothing.

Finally, Brianna-cat could take it no longer and turned to present herself to the alpha, who took up his place behind her.

The real fun had just begun, the alpha entering Brianna-cat in one smooth motion planting him inside her up to the hilt and causing her to squeal in ecstasy when both participants were splashed with water. As any cat would tell you, this put a damper on the festivities. More to the point the instant they were splashed the lovely full feeling Brianna-cat had been experiencing a moment ago vanished, leaving her empty and wanting. She yowled in shock and anger and was about to turn and rend whoever had interrupted her fun when a sharp thing hit her shoulder, and she knew no more.

* * *

Genn breathed a sigh of relief as the tazer worked. Brianna had talked Brittany into letting her test it out on the were-girl, just in case, and it had worked on Brianna just as well as on her sister.

He was surprised by the change the cold water had wrought in the were-man however. He had turned into a small, very buxom redheaded human girl, who looked at him, seemed to nod in thanks and then collapsed. _I've heard of water-based curses before, but none that changed both the gender and the species of the cursed_, Genn mused.

He reached forward and was shocked at how low the life energy of the redhead was. _Something has literally taken nearly all her life energy, but that wasn't been the case a moment ago in her werecat form? What is going on here or more to the point what has Brianna gotten us into this time? Would the Dragon Tower really have been worse than this?_

He would just have to wait until one of them woke up. It wasn't like he could move them both, and leaving just the strange girl did not sit well on his conscience. Genn did however take this opportunity to feed off Brianna's ambient ether. _She owes me that much at least._

* * *

Nabiki had to sit for a moment to gather her scattered wits. She was hardly alone in this, as most of the school seemed to be doing the same.

Not surprisingly, despite her close encounter and raging hormones Nabiki was among the first to recover. She moved toward Ryoga and the others, signaling two of her associates over to her at the same time. "Hitomi, Nara, run up to the nurse's office and bring her and three stretchers back. I don't think any of these three are going to be moving any time soon." She looked down at Ryoga, Kuno and the principal. Only the principal wasn't bleeding, though even he looked as if he had more bones broken than whole. The other two looked as if someone had used them as a scratching post, which in fact was the case. Both would need blood, stitches and a lot of time in the hospital after this.

She looked across at the three Amazons. Shampoo was glaring at her but Mousse stood to one side impassively, while Cologne seemed to be looking off into the distance.

After a moment, Cologne waved her staff, and the two teens turned, following as she led the way back to the NekoHanten. "I can no longer make out Ranma's ki signature, which means it has changed somehow. We will need to resort to other means to track him."

Shampoo wanted to stay to discuss things with the mercenary girl, but her grandmother was adamant. Mousse paused, his gaze flicking from Akane to Nabiki and back to Ukyo, before he bowed his head in farewell, turning to chase after the Elder and Shampoo.

Nabiki turned from matching stares with Shampoo as the Amazon followed her grandmother, turning her attention to her sister.

It took all of Nabiki's willpower not to blame Akane for this whole fiasco. _After all, if she hadn't been such a stuck up and superior bitch she would have known not to interfere in a fight with her betters._ _But nnnnoooo, the so-called best martial artist in Nerima never even noticed Kuno was using a real sword, never even noticed how badly Ranma was fighting, all she saw was a nail that needed hitting!_

She kept her thoughts out of her face as she looked at her other two aids, Shion and Kaori. "Case the crowd: see if anyone recorded the fight with a video camera, no pictures, I want full movement from start to finish. Tell them I'll owe them a favor if they don't already owe us anything and if they do cancel it." Shion nodded and ran off to the rapidly dispersing crowd. Here and there, clumps of students still stood wondering what to make of what they had seen but most seemed willing to put it down to the regular Nerima madness.

"Kaori, grab a couple of the girls from your team and head to the top of the school building. **Something** entered the fight and I think a saw Mr. Voodoo up there. Grab him and squeeze him for information until he pops. Call me when you're done." Kaori, a large girl who was on the Women's-field hockey team nodded grimly and moved away.

Nabiki turned back to look at Akane, who was being lifted off the ground by Ukyo, and Sayuri. She looked around and spotted Yuka, passed out with drool spilling from her mouth at the edge of the track field. There were a lot of other girls spread around the area in the same fashion. Nabiki snorted inwardly and asked Ukyo "Was she hurt, or is it just shock?"

Ukyo shook her head. "Just shock I think, though it's pretty bad. I think the Doc should look at her."

Nabiki nodded. "Sayuri, do you think you can get her to the doctors alone, or do you want help?"

Sayuri looked over to where Yuka had collapsed and smiled a snarky little smirk. "I think I know where I can get some help anyway. We'll call you when doctor Tofu is done with her."

"I'll go with her." Ukyo said. "Despite our differences I still consider Akane a friend. _Though that may change after today, depending on how she reacts when she wakes up... _"Don't worry, I'll see her safely home."

Nabiki stepped close to Ukyo, keeping her voice low enough that Sayuri could not hear. "Differences or rivalry Ukyo?"

The okomanayaki chef shrugged her shoulders. "That ship sailed a long time ago sugar. Despite how he may feel about her after this, there was a time he cared enough about Akane to kill for her. Ran-chan never loved me like that, he always saw me as a friend. Besides, even if that wasn't the case, we couldn't build a future together. He wants to be a martial artist and have adventures. I want to own my diner and perfect my cooking. Not exactly compatible, ne?"

Nabiki smiled slightly, letting her exterior thaw a bit. "Does this have anything to do with why Ranma paid me to buy up half your restaurant? I presume you did get the deed in the mail last week?"

Ukyo nodded, "Ranma's way of paying for his father stealing my dad's cart. Not that it was his job to cover for the old bastard. Still that's the story of his life in a nutshell: cleaning up after the old man's mistakes." Nabiki spared the girl a sharp grin, as Uyko went on more seriously. "Just… When you do find out what the hell is going on, call me sugar? I may not be in love with him anymore but that doesn't mean I don't care for Ranchan."

Nabiki nodded assent and the group broke apart. Nabiki went straight home, deciding to wait further developments there. Maybe she could also figure out why a small area of skin on her neck was throbbing. _I hope it's not a hicky, there's no way I could ever live it down…_

* * *

Ranma's consciousness stirred in the darkness surrounding him, barely aware. _My ki levels must be dangerously low. Concentrate, reach inside and replenish, must concentrate…._

"I think she's awake Brianna, but her life energy is so low I don't…. she's doing something, I can't tell what, but it's affecting her ether" A male voice, unknown. _Ether? Ignore it_.

"That's nice and all, but I wish we had something for this migraine I have. Whatever the hell that powdery stuff was, it sure packed a wallop. Though if he was as hot as you say Genn maybe you could go back to the lab alone and let me experiment on him. I still can't believe there is such a thing as a water-based curse."

A female voice, almost purring with a lot of undertones that he _understood_? _Images of a female human with catlike features, beautiful and lithe and desirable raising herself eagerly up to meet him… Ignore it! _

_Deal with it later or there won't be a later. Breathe, Breathe, open mind…_

Flashes of a fight, of Nabiki, a horde of ghost cats, of Akane smashing him, the blade entering his chest, his dying gambit… he had died… _ Ignore it all. Reach out, become nothing, reach out… Ranma Saotome Don't lose…._

It took Ranma twenty minutes of intense concentration to gather enough ambient energy from her surroundings to restart her body's functions, and another ten to gather enough to regain control of her body. She blinked her eyes, looking up into the concerned face of a young man with horns(?) meh, he'd seen stranger. Her voice came out in a croak, barely heard over the rumblings of her stomach, her need to renew her energy worse than it had ever been in her life. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."

* * *

Genn and Brianna looked at the red-head. "I think she needs some food. Genn, you're the only one with clothing, go and buy some. I think we'll be fine here for now. I can handle my headache, and I want to get to know this Ranma person."

Genn nodded reluctantly. The two of them had been comatose for over 9 hours, and it was nearly ten by his watch. The lights from the surrounding buildings let them see each other well enough though. Genn moved to the edge of the roof and disappeared over the edge.

Brianna looked at the young redhead with a mixture of amusement, irritation, and curiosity. She vaguely remembered what he looked like in were-cat form, and definitely remembered what they had just started to do before Genn's interruption. _Part of me is still irritated, part of me is thankful and part of me is dying to know more about this Ranma. Where the hell did he (she?) get this curse Genn is talking about? I never heard of other werecats living on earth? Where did he come from? Is he as good looking in male human form as in were-form? Will daddy like him?_

It was the last thought that brought her back to reality. After all, **He** was a **She** right now, and there was a lot to find out about him before she could tazer him and take him back home.

So, can you talk some more or are you pooped out?" Without Genn there she fell back on the universal translator that she and Gina had created, never having learned Japanese herself. While the babelfish may have looked silly, it worked, at least Ranma had understood her, but she shook head very slightly, almost falling back in unconsciousness from the strain.

"Well then I'll introduce myself okay?"

Ranma nodded very slightly, unable to turn her head enough to see the speaker. She didn't really need to. Unlike previous times in the neko-ken, she had some broken memories of what she had done, at least the last few minutes of it at any rate, and could remember what this Brianna had looked like, and what they had been doing when he was changed. If Ranma had enough energy, she was sure she would be blushing as red as a tomato right now. All Ranma could do was stay awake listen and hope for food soon.

Brianna went on. "I'm Brianna Diggers, adventurer, archeologist and scientist. I work with my sisters on various projects and explorations. I'm in Tokyo picking up some parts my oldest sister special ordered. I bumped into some delivery guy outside a restaurant and got a whiff of something that made me go batty. I think it was some kind of high powered catnip, 'cause according to Genn and what little I remember, it made me go way more catty than I ever normally act."

Ranma waited for the terror to come at the mention of cats, but he didn't feel anything. _Freaky, but too much energy to think about right now, just rest and listen._

That was all he did for the next half hour. Brianna kept talking, telling him about her profession of adventurer and a little about her sisters and what brought her and Genn to Tokyo. It sounded fascinating, and Ranma felt a stab of envy, realizing he would never have as loving a family as the one Brianna came from. Though his own adventures matched up with the ones she was talking about, without the scientific and historical discoveries, at any rate. He'd take fighting off an undead lich over fighting Herb any day, and a real dragon over Saffron; at least a real dragon would be too large to dodge well and wouldn't resurrect itself every freaking time you killed the damn thing.

Genn finally returned with as much ramen and oden containers he could carry, along with tea and a container of hot water. He fed Ranma by hand for a few minutes, until the girl was able to move for herself, marveling anew at the power he felt in her. Ranma's life energy was literally refilling itself as he watched. It was like what Ranma had done earlier, only far faster.

Within minutes, his life energy was back to some semblance of normality, but she kept eating.

After about fifteen minutes of eating Saotome speed style, he slowed down enough to talk to Brianna and Genn. "Thanks for this. I don't know what I'da done without food. And I'm sorry 'bout what happened before."

Brianna grinned back at her. "I'm not." Ranma had to fight back a blush. Now that she was facing her she could see that Brianna was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and the shredded and torn clothing she wore left very little to his strangely active imagination. He had to force himself not to stare at her ample chest, and her legs fascinated him in the dim light. "Maybe we can pick up where we left off some other time. Can you tell us a little about yourself now?"

Ranma nodded losing his battle with the blush, reaching over to the beaker of hot water. "Well the first thing to explain is the Jusenkyo curse, which I got, like most of my problems, because my old man is a complete idiot." After his explanation, he poured the hot water over his head and turned back into a man while they watched.

Genn was fascinated by how the young man's ether changed to match his form, as well as the story he told about how he acquired the curse in the first place. He was also surprised, and a little in awe from how much power was now radiating off the young man. His life energy was growing as he watched and was already at the level of Brianna or most adventurers he had met over his lifetime.

For her part, Brianna had to stop herself from again jumping Ranma's bones right there and then. _He might not be as muscled as Genn in his male form or even Stripe and Ryan but damn! _His body was sculpted power and grace, even stuffing his face he looked like a world class gymnast and wrestler combined. _The bulge in his pants doesn't hurt at all…_

Ranma took a moment to study his body. After a moment, he stood up in one fluid movement, causing Brianna to gulp uncontrollably. He went through a short kata and frowned.

Brianna stood up and pulled Ranma's arm to gain his attention, nestling his arm in between her breasts, the better to flirt with him. "Something wrong Ranma?"

Ranma blushed at the contact, yet a part of him thrilled at it, which also bothered him on many levels. He was unused to physical contact with a woman that was not accompanied by immediate pain or coercion, and he had never enjoyed it as much as this. Yes, he had enjoyed it slightly, but that was like comparing a mud pie to chocolate cake. He felt everything, he felt great. _What the hell?_

Ranma gently removed his arm from Brianna's grip, moving away and sitting back down (after quickly looking around for the dreaded mallet and repositioning his torn pants slightly, much to the glee of Brianna). "My body is a little taller than it was and it's throwing off my balance a bit, though everything else seems the same. I'll havta train with it a bit to be sure though." He went back to his story, describing the fight he had been in as briefly as possible, not going into any kind of background info, still checking out the surrounding area for any of the NWC. Thankfully he realized they were near the temple area of Nerima, a place that none of the others frequented and where no one would look for him.

Brianna and Genn took turns looking at the bracelet on Ranma's right wrist. Brianna scanned it with one of her devices she kept in her pocket, but could not detect anything. Genn tasted the ether around it. "I can tell that whatever it is it's now dormant for some reason, though I can't tell you anything more than that. It's clearly a magical item, but what it does or where it draws its power from is beyond me."

Ranma ignored them for a moment, instead staring at Brianna's cheetah striped face and cat eyes as she was leaning against his shoulder. "Why I am I…."

Genn and Brianna looked at him quizzically. "Why am I not afraid of your face?" Brianna's face became stormy as she glared at him and he went on hurriedly "I mean I ain't afraid of that cheetah strip on your face, even that little should set me off, after going neko my tolerance is way lower, so why"

Genn interrupted "Going neko? You mean your were-form?"

"Nah, that's something new too. The neko-ken is a martial arts form, kind of a berserker technique 'cept instead ah anger it's triggered by seeing cats."

Genn and Brianna both blinked. Genn reached forward and placed a hand on Ranma's forehead. "Excuse me but that explanation leaves much to be desired. Do you mind?"

Before Ranma could object, he felt something at the edge of his consciousness. He tried to block it out at first, but the intrusion did not feel threatening, so he let it in. A moment later, Genn shot away from him as quickly as he could. Running over to a corner of the rooftop, he retched uncontrollably for a few minutes before collapsing in a shuddering heap.

Brianna shook off her hunk-lust induced haze before glaring at Ranma. "What the heck did you do?"

"I didn't do nothin. What the heck was he trying to do?"

Genn weakly waved a hand. "It's alright Brianna I just… there were just…" he turned an anguished face to Ranma. "How could anyone do that to a six year old boy, much less their own son?"

Ranma shrugged. "My old man in a nut shell. He didn't read the last page of the book."

Brianna demanded that someone tell her what they were talking about and immediately regretted it upon hearing a description of the neko-ken. She almost joined Genn in the corner, but thankfully kept control. "And you call this man your father?"

"I call him a child-abusing useless sack of shit, and his wife an honor-mad crazy bitch." Ranma said flatly, speaking far more freely than he would to anyone from Nerima before changing the subject. "So, you some kind of monk or something, able to read minds like that?"

Genn looked at him in puzzlement. "No I'm a rakshasa, we're able to see into the minds of other people. I thought you knew, I mean you didn't seem put-off by my horns."

"I've seen weirder, trust me." Ranma said dryly.

Genn nodded looking between him and Brianna. "I believe him." The rakshasa went on hesitantly. "I also read a lot of your emotions in that contact. Despair, anger, lonlieness, images of battle, most of them concerning family members and women."

Brianna stiffened at that word, her face going from curious to despairing in an instant. _Shit, that means he's already taken. Why do I keep falling for men who're already in relationships?_

Something deep inside Ranma made him want to take that look of despair away as quickly as possible. "Wait, it's not what it sounds like. I- with what we were doing before Genn came I guess I got something I need ta tell you." Ranma went back to eating, giving a brief overview of his current situation in regards to his horde of rivals and fiancées at the same time.

Brianna's relief was clear on her face by the end of the tale, which took another hour to impart. _So he isn't involved with anyone willingly, at least not anymore. _ She really didn't know how to take everything he said, some of it was just too wild to believe. _Parents wouldn't act like that toward their offspring would they? The whole suicide contract and everything? _ But Genn had nodded at that point and several others, confirming what he said from the images he had seen in Ranma's mind.

"You know" she began, keeping her voice deliberately casual. _Don't scare him off, soft touch that's the key!_ "My dad may be able to help you with your curse and with your new form, however you got it. He's kind of an expert on magic and its effects. If you come back with me we can see if he'll be able to help you."

Ranma considered her proposal, as well as going back to his thoughts about his life here in Nerima and his own desire to escape from the emotional cluster fuck that was his home life and the chaos around him. If he went with Brianna he may have adventure, and he could have help and maybe even understanding, something he was only now getting from Kasumi and Nabiki.

_Nabiki! _The images flared through his mind like a thunderbolt, his holding, his caring for her in front of Shampoo, Cologne, and Akane!

Ranma stood up, a look of horror on his face as he whipped around. "Oh-oh shit oh-shit!"

Brianna and Genn looked at him in alarm. "What's wrong Ranma?"

"Oh-shit, Nabiki, I saved her in front of the others oh shit, she's in danger I can't" He looked down at Brianna's now downcast expression and a new decisiveness entered his mind for the first time. He had to save Nabiki, but whatever Brianna was offering was important to her, and her face… He had seen loneliness like that on his own face often enough to recognize it. He reached over and grabbed Brianna's hands. "I want to take you up on your offer, but I gotta know that Nabiki is safe first."

Genn looked at him inquiringly, ignoring Brianna's out of character blush. "Do you really think this Nabiki girl is in danger? From what you said earlier she is family to one of the girls you are already engaged to. How could anyone believe that she was a threat?"

Ranma calmed down a bit but still stood looking around, trying to judge the fastest way back to the Tendo dojo. "You don't know my 'fiancées' like I do. Shampoo's been insane since the wedding and her grandmother's worse, and Akane… I really don't know how that girl thinks anymore."

Genn nodded, but Brianna frowned at the mention of Akane. "Would she really attack her own sister?" Brianna carefully did not mention that she had done so upon being created, the curse she had been made to take off her sisters controlling her actions.

Ranma's eyes closed momentarily in pain before opening again. "she did once a year and a bit ago. Since the wedding attempt her temper has gotten even worse. Without me around to hit, maybe she really will turn to other people."

Brianna nodded, before stretching her arms over head, taking note of how Ranma's eyes flicked to her chest for a moment before going back to her face, a heavy blush suffusing his features. She grinned inwardly. _He's going to be a lot of fun to tease, and I found him first__** joy!**_ "So what's your plan?"

Ranma blinked at Brianna, "Plan?"

Brianna and Genn face -faulted into the concrete of the rooftop.

end chapter. Hope you all like it so far, and that I'm staying in character for now. The characters will change as they interact with one another and the story goes along.


	3. Chapter 2 Escape from Nerima

I do not own Ranma or Gold Digger, if I did Gold Digger would have been made into a successful anime rather than merely two rather sad OVAs.

To those of you who notice the lines I apologize, I tried to use them for scene breaks but when I decided to be more specific (+ for time passing for scene changing) I found I could not get rid of them, and even moving them is a hassle. If anyone knows how please tell me.

**Chapter 2 Escape from Nerima**

Nabiki walked into her home, mind still adjusting to the new realities of what had occurred at school. She had seen Ranma **die** then reborn, into new cat-man body, which sort of broke the weird meter, even in a place like Nerima. _Was it permanent, how did it happen, why did it happen and what is going to happen now? _

_Why did he practically make out with me?_ That feeling had been among the most glorious she ever had. She walked into the house in a daze, listlessly answering Kasumi's habitual 'welcome home'.

Her sister, much more observant and intelligent than most people ever realized, came out of the backyard where she had been sweeping. Her brows furrowed in concern and she looked at her younger sister questioningly, not even having to voice her query.

Nabiki answered her. "I'm alright, something happened at school, I'm still trying to figure out what but they let us out early. I don't have all the information yet, but hopefully I will by dinner time."

The seriousness of her voice attracted Nodoka from the kitchen where she was busy baking cookies as well as the attention of the two old men from their game of shogi. "what do you mean something happened daughter?"

Nabiki looked at her father levelly, nearly ten years of experience keeping her disgust and contempt from her face. She barely remembered a time when the man before her warranted the title of father, and those few memories had been buried under years of neglect, apathy, stupidity and indolence. The sheer spinelessness of Soun Tendo, and his inability to do anything but drink and play shogi with the child abuser that was Genma Saotome cut to Nabiki's very core. All the responsibilities that she and Kasumi had been forced to take on were because this man could not handle it, and a part of her had hated him for years.

She kept her voice level as she replied to all of their inquiring gazes. "Ranma got into a fight at school. Something happened, I saw something, I don't understand what. For more than that we'll have to wait until my sources come through."

Kasumi and Nodoka both heard the bleakness in her voice, and she tried to reassure them with a small smile, but her heart wasn't in it.

Genma spoke from where he sat across from Soun. "See, Tendo, I told you the boy was getting soft. All that time spent on schoolwork has taken the edge off him if he gets into a fight and has to worry people. Oh what have I done to deserve such a weakling for a son?"

Nabiki thought,_ this coming from a man who can't even give his son a five- minute workout without getting tossed around like a toy?_ The thought nearly brought a smile to her face, but was overshadowed by her hatred for the man.

Soun spoke up again, nodding his head in an attempt to appear wise. "Well, perhaps a training trip will do the boy good. Where are Ranma and Akane? Are they together somewhere? Oh happy day, Saotome, the schools will be joined!"

Before the two could continue their normal routine Nabiki's voice cut through the air like a thrown knife, as sharp as winter's breath. "Akane's at Dr. Tofu's being looked at, she wasn't hurt but she did get some of the… fallout from the fight on her, more than that I won't say until dinner. As for Ranma, in a word he went neko, and I don't know where he is."

_Or even if he's coming back, and from the way he looked at Akane before leaving I really don't think so. _That thought was almost enough to crush her spirit, but she kept her composure for now. She signaled to Kasumi, a little wave of the fingers the two had worked out, telling her that she had more information, but would not impart it now. Kasumi, who had gone pale as she heard the coldness in Nabiki's voice nodded before rallying herself.

Nodoka simply waited, wondering deep down if something had happened to her son. She had known for months that she should take Ranma away from Nerima, whatever his feelings toward Akane, but she had no place to go after her house had been leveled months ago, and no means of support. And Nodoka did not think it very manly of him to just give up on the engagement in any case. Not for the first time she cursed her husband and her own inaction. Now she steeled herself, and nodded, turning around to go back into the kitchen.

Genma began to lament about having such a weak son that cats could scare him witless as Soun tried to stare down his middle daughter. "Now Nabiki, I think we a little more information than that."

Nabiki coolly stared her father down before leaving the room. "Ask Akane when she comes home if you want to. I won't say anything until I know more."

Kasumi followed after her and the two entered Nabiki's room. Nabiki flopped onto the bed, emotionally exhausted, while Kasumi sat down next to her, waiting. "I meant it Kasumi. I saw what happened, but how to explain it…"

Kasumi nodded, pulling her air of serenity around her even as the mistress of wa realized something was missing from her domain. "I know, but I want to wait with you, you need to have someone with you right now, whatever happened." Nabiki gripped her sister's hand in thanks. "And I wanted to ask you why have a tattoo on your collarbone that wasn't there yesterday?"

Nabiki's eyes flew open. "Tattoo?"

Over the next few hours reports from her various sources came in. First the news came that the two Kuno's and Ryoga were all hospitalized with varying degrees of injury.

Despite what Nabiki first thought, Ryoga's wounds were the lightest of the combatants. The doctor her associate had talked to likened his wounds to thousands of paper cuts all over his chest and upper body. Extremely painful, and he had lost a lot of blood, but nowhere near life threatening for someone who had gone through the Bakusei Tenketsu training like Ryoga. He would be out of the hospital in a week.

The principal was in intensive care, with his arms, legs and all of his ribs broken in several places. He also suffered from a severe concussion. Kuno was the worst injured, with several large slashes that would require stitches and skin grafts, dozens of broken bones including a shattered beyond repair thigh bone, some internal bleeding and a punctured lung.

The list was a little horrifying to Nabiki, who'd never known Ranma to inflict such injuries in a fight. The thought that he could have easily killed all three of them and the three Amazons was sobering. _I knew he was holding back in his fights, but to that extent?_ _By my ancestors, we've all been sitting on a powder keg and never even realized it! _ It made the little information she had about the Jesendo incident much more likely.

Nabiki had never been more grateful for her sister's support than when that news hit her. She'd nearly fainted at the litany of injuries the three had sustained, but her sister simply hugged her close and given wordless support. Kasumi hadn't even asked what caused her reaction.

In point of fact, Kasumi was dealing with her own concerns as well as her sister's. She was the mistress of the house, and its wa, its energy, life, whatever you wanted to call it, fed into and out of her. Yet ever since Nabiki had come home, something was missing from the makeup of the house. Happiness, hope, joy, something was missing, and it took her a few hours to realize what it was. _Ranma might not be coming home ever again, and the wa is reacting to it._ _The house itself is preparing for the worst. _That thought prompted Kasumi to wonder if the house would still feel like home, to her personally that is, without Ranma there. This question took a long time to answer for many reasons.

The short answer was no, and it shocked Kasumi to her core. She had not realized until that moment how divorced from her father, and to a lesser extent her younger sister she had become in the last few months. To her mind, Nabiki = only real family, with the others distant relatives at best, and Ranma=home, and to her shame, love interest. She knew it was wrong to develop these feelings toward her sister fiancée, but could no longer hide the truth from herself.

The next bit of information was a video of the fight. Shion stopped by and dropped it off personally. Nabiki did not look at it; she didn't want to become hardened to what it showed. For once, she wanted her first initial reactions to be plain and unambiguous in front of her family. The video, which Shion assured her had captured the entire fight from beginning to end, even Ranma's strange rebirth, would speak for itself. _My family's reactions to it will dictate my own actions. Do I suddenly find my family and guests really are irredeemable or do they surprise me? Only time will tell._ She looked over into her closet, where a small suitcase sat on the floor, before looking away. She still wasn't ready to take that step just yet.

Next was a gleeful report from her associate Kaori. By the time she and her teammates had arrived on the roof Voodoo Boy had run away. They soon caught up to him however and after a very satisfying beat down (Nabiki had caught the idiot trying to peep into the girls locker room to take pictures of Akane a few days ago, and most of the girls were still pissed about it) he had spilled his guts.

The details about the wand he had been using were very nasty and confirmed Nabiki's fears that something permanent had happened to Ranma. The ghost cats had obviously reacted with whatever the bracelet had been doing, as well as Ranma's own final technique. _But does that mean he'll never be able to control his new from, is it a onetime change, does it replace his girl form or what? _She idly wondered where the bracelet had come from, and if it was the reason for the Amazon's involvement. _ Almost certainly given Cologne's involvement in the fight, but what is it and what was it supposed to do?_

About four hours after she had come home, Akane at last made an appearance. She was dressed in her gym clothes, and her regular uniform was nowhere to be found. Ukyo came with her, and the two girls made their way past sobbing and demanding parents to Nabiki's room, where they found the older Tendo sisters.

Akane hadn't answered any of her father's questions, not really understanding the seriousness of what had happened, and wondering what Nabiki had already told them. "Nabiki?"

The middle sister looked at the youngest with an expression as cold as her nickname. Behind Akane, Ukyo suppressed a shiver but did not interrupt. Akane had gone way to far this time, and she had not been able to make her see it on the way home, fending off dozens of digs and barbs thrown in her direction from her former rival. Ukyo was uncertain if Akane really did think it was really Ranma's fault, or if it was a defense mechanism. At this point she didn't care, and it looked Nabiki didn't either.

"Kasumi, why don't you take Ukyo down and see if dinner's ready? I think I have all the information I'm going to get." The words rang out like a command, and Kasumi nodded, realizing that Nabiki wanted to talk to Akane alone while Ukyo had to stop herself from saluting before running off.

"Well little sister, what do you want to talk about? Could this be about oh, I don't know your **attempted murder** of Ranma?" Nabiki's voice was as harsh as she could make it. She had never really liked Akane even when they were children. The spoiled little princess act got old very quickly, and her treatment of Ranma over the past two years had been abominable. Her actions today had turned that dislike into something approaching hatred.

Akane flinched "I never"

"Never what?" Never looked that's certain. Never cared? That could be true too." Nabiki's voice was like a scalpel, sharp, cold and surgically precise, cutting away Akane's automatic rejection of all responsibility for Ranma's 'death'.

Akane glared at her, rallying her self-delusion automatically. "You don't know anything Nabiki. Ranma's a pervert and a freak of nature and I need to straighten him out. How was I to know stupid Kuno had a real sword?"

"Oh of course it's always someone else fault isn't it **princess**." Nabiki practically hissed the old nickname. "Never mind the fact that a real martial artist, like you claim to be would have noticed, like **everyone** else had." Akane snarled but Nabiki went on implacably. "You won't get out of this by blaming it on Ranma like you always do. Not this time."

Akane tried pleading, trying to get her sister to see the truth as she saw it. "Nabiki, if you would just listen, you'll see that it really is Ranma's fault! He's the one that started the fight, I'm sure of it! And it's not like I meant to hit him into Kuno's sword. He's always picking on poor Ryoga and it makes me so mad I can't stop myself! Besides Ukyo said he somehow came back anyway so there was no real harm done…" Her voice trailed off under her sister's arctic glare.

Nabiki was seriously thinking of slapping her sister senseless right then but Kasumi's voice interrupted them, possibly saving Nabiki from a beating of her own. "Akane, Nabiki, dinner!"

Nabiki stood up, but Akane grabbed her arm. "Just let me do the talking alright, I'll explain everything to them."

Nabiki shook her off. "Oh no, they're getting the full story Akane. I won't lie or try to cover your ass this time."

Akane glared at her as the two made their way down the hall, her familiar friend anger finding a new target. "Why the hells are you being so stubborn about this, you can't get anything from Ranma for sticking up for him, he's not here!"

Nabiki turned and glared at Akane so fiercely the youngest Tendo took a step backwards. "This isn't about getting something Akane. There's more to life than money, I've learned that lesson. This is about the truth." _And finally saving Ranma from your abuse, one way or another._

The two walked downstairs, one expectant the other sullen and angry. Nabiki was surprised to find she was almost excited. _Whatever happens something is going to change tonight. All of us have fallen into such a rut, physically, mentally and emotionally, but something this tremendous must break that cycle._

Dinner was a somber affair, each family member wondering what Nabiki was going to say, and dealing with the suspense in their own manner. Well except for Genma who saw no reason to worry about his worthless son (after all, his retirement plan had been going splendidly so far) and took the opportunity to stuff his face from everyone else's plate. After dinner, Nabiki didn't say anything. The moment the last dish was cleared from the table she walked over, connected the video recorder to the TV, and let the video play, while she studied the reactions of everyone around her.

_Kasumi's as horrified as I was and in a way still am at how Akane obviously caused Ranma's death. No surprise there, Kasumi being Kasumi, and she cares for Ranma, though I don't know if her feelings are romantic or platonic. We may have to talk about that sometime. _ Indeed, the gentle woman was glaring in uncharacteristic anger at her youngest sister for her part in it, and her relief at Ranma's seeming rebirth was palpable through the wa of the house.

Nodoka also was horrified, though she broke down completely. _Only a week after she found out about the neko-ken training and now she sees her son dying and being reborn as the thing he most fears in the world. _Nabiki watched as the older woman gripped her katana hard and tried to regain some measure of control but it was obviously hard as the tears poured down her once proud face. Ukyo had much the same reaction, though she had been there and seen the action first hand. She wrapped the older woman in her arms, giving what comfort she could.

Akane refused to watch, obviously still trying to twist reality to conform to her own interpretation of events. Nabiki barely resisted glaring at her again. _Typical evasion from her highness Akane. _

Genma looked disgusted, at what Nabiki was unclear about. Her own 'father' end quote was balling his eyes out. _Neither one seems to understand what they are watching, or the implications. God, are they that stupid and blind? Wait, why does this surprise me after all the stupid plans they come up with? They've probably killed what few brain cells they had with all that sake they constantly drink. Scum, the pair of them._

As the video got to the end of were-Ranma's short massacre of his attackers, Nabiki stopped it, and informed the family of the injuries the three had taken. Akane turned green at hearing Ryoga's injuries, and Kasumi looked a little sick, but none of the others had a visible reaction. "After that fight Ranma took off. Some of my friends are out looking but no one has called back with any new sightings."

No one spoke for a few minutes until Genma's gruff voice broke the shocked silence, ignoring the sound of Nodoka's quiet sobbing. "I don't see what's the concern here girl. It's obvious my idiot son got inta a fight and foolishly involved his fiancée. No doubt once he comes out of the neko-ken he'll return home and 'pologize like the man he is, once we show him where 'is honor lies."

Soun immediately backed him up, turning to Akane. "That's right sweetheart, you just wait and see, your fiancée will return safe and sound and then everything will be alright. You didn't do anything wrong."

Akane visibly brightened at these words while Kasumi and Nabiki looked at one another in growing horror. Nabiki thought _Damnit I knew our 'fathers' grasp on reality was weak but this is something else entirely. And as for Genma… I need to say something here, or do I? _The thought of her suitcase upstairs and the idea of Ranma never coming back paralyzed her for a minute. Kasumi was also dealing with some of the same issues.

Before either Tendo daughter could overcome their paralysis, Nodoka stood, her eyes flashing in righteous anger. "How dare you!" Her voice was somewhere between a scream and a war cry, and stunned everyone listening to it.

Genma stuttered, raising a hand in entreaty. "Now dear, calm down we all know how the boy is,"

With a single fluid movement totally unlike her normal clumsiness, Nodoka unsheathed her katana and had the point at Genma's throat before the watchers could blink. "One more word against my son, Genma and you will not see the sunrise."

Soun tried to come to his friend's defense, but a single glower silenced his voice, pinning him to the ground.

Akane tried to calm her down. "Auntie, I"

The glare Nodoka shot her made the previous two seem friendly in comparison and Akane flinched back from the sheer hate shown in it. Her voice was colder than even Nabiki could ever manage as she spoke, filled with raw anger and hate. "You have no right to call me that! I have been silent for far too long apparently. I've allowed things to continue as they have because I genuinely thought my son and you, you abusive **bitch**, had some spark of affection for each other. Now, it no longer matters. Regardless of your own feelings or my son's he is no longer engaged to you."

Genma, Akane and Soun made to protest, either over her verbal abuse of Akane or the forceful end of the engagement, but Nodoka swept them with an imperious stare, pressing her katana slightly into Genma's neck, drawing a trickle of blood, which seeped down into his dirty gi. "Enough. As head of the Saotome clan, I hereby annul the engagement between the house of Tendo and the house of Saotome, due to Akane Tendo, the choice of the Tendo house, proving her complete unsuitability due to her childish lack of control, skill and general intelligence."

Akane tried to speak up but Nodoka glared at her again and the young girl collapsed backwards, stunned by this turn of events, and unable to deal with it. "You have one way of making amends Tendo, and that is to declare your daughter outcast for her actions, or force her to commit seppuku. Only then will I think of reinstating the honor pact between our families." She turned her glare back on Akane. "I only hope my son regains control of himself and returns to me safely from your latest assault on him. If he does not, I will declare blood feud against your entire family." Akane paled and Soun trembled with rage at being addressed so in his own house.

Kasumi and Nabiki looked at each other and decided to stay out of the way for now. They could try to patch things up with Nodoka later, but right now the woman was far too angry, and with reason. Kasumi almost smiled whimsically as she thought _And it might be easier to pursue a relationship with Ranma without the engagement hanging over our heads. _

Nodoka turned back to Genma. "As for you, since you seem to want to take Tendo's side over your own flesh and blood, he can have you. I will have a lawyer visit you at the earliest moment I can manage with divorce papers. I've had them prepared and waiting since learning the truth of the neko-ken." Genma again tried to protest, but Nodoka's blade at his throat stilled his words. "Or you can redeem your honor right now." Genma paled further and shook his head violently, almost cutting his own throat in his haste to deny that idea.

Nodoka turned to Ukyo. "Ukyo, I'm sorry but may I impose upon you for the night? I wish to remain in the area to find my son, but I'll not stay in a house that harbors such disgrace a moment longer." Soun again made to speak, but Nodoka's sword swung to point at him, and he fell silent, quivering with indignation and fear.

Ukyo gulped, but nodded. "Sure, Auntie. I would love to have you over."

Nodoka nodded and the two left without another word, leaving behind them two wondering young women, and three shell shocked blind fools, who had just received a wakeup call that their little worlds could not deal with.

Within moments of their departure, Akane's ego had again been stroked by her father, who assured his little princess that the mad woman had no say whatsoever in the engagement, as it had been made between Genma and himself. Genma backed him, saying 'his No-chan' would see reason with a nights rest under her. Both old men broke out more sake bottles and went to play shogi, talking about dishonorable wives and cowardly sons.

Akane went up to her room after glaring at Nabiki for a few minutes for her part in this. She just knew the ice queen was at fault for all of this somehow. After all, it couldn't really be her fault could it?

Kasumi and Nabiki stayed up late, waiting on word about Ranma, but none came. Eventually both young women, appalled by their family and the willful blindness shown, went to bed distraught and wondering what the day would bring, and what they should do. Neither found sleep easy.

Ranma and Genn landed silently on the outer wall of the Tendo dojo. It was close to three in the morning and Ranma fully expected everyone within to be asleep. He sent his senses out, confirming this before nodding to Genn and heading inside alone, leaving the neuter rakshasa to stand guard.

The plan that Brianna thought up was straightforward, given their limited information and the simple goal they were shooting for. Ranma would sneak in, leave a note about where he was going, and apologize to Nabiki for 'molesting' her in werecat form, (which Brianna had been slightly jealous about when Ranma had explained what little he remembered) and then he would leave.

Ranma's original plan had simply to go and threaten everyone personally, but Briana had nixed that idea, as it would take too long and probably not work if his suitors and rivals were as crazy as he described them.

Brianna had wanted to go with him, but someone had to carry the packages back to Gina's local lab, and Genn was the one who was in best shape right now, both in body and clothing. Brianna's migraine from the catnip had yet to recede, and her clothing was a mass of holes and shreds, so she went, hopping from one roof to another to stay out of sight.

Ranma used the umi-ken-sen to enter the house as quietly as possible, sneaking into the room he shared with his father to grab what little he called his own: a few shirts, two pairs of pants, his pack and nothing else. After that, he made his way down the hallway.

As he passed Akane's room a wave of anger washed over him, and he had to stop for a moment, nearly dropping out of the umi-ken-sen as he tried to regain control of his emotions. _ Akane took everything, everything I did for her and threw it back into my face like it was nothing and then the bitch actually tried to kill me! _He realized then even if he could come back, he never would. I_'ll never feel at home under the same roof as Akane ever again._ It took him a few minutes to regain control of himself and move on.

As he passed Kasumi's room, the door opened quietly and he moved backwards, confident in the concealment of the umi-ken-sen.

Kasumi stood in her doorway for a moment, looking around before staring straight at him. She raised a finger to her lips, and moved past Ranma, motioning him back toward Nabiki's room with an arm.

Ranma was astounded. _How's Kasumi able to see me, the umi-ken-sen blocks sight and smell right?_ Now he was stuck, he couldn't get past her outstretched arm, and she obviously knew where he was. Resigned to verbally explaining his upcoming Escape from Nerima (patent pending), Ranma followed after the eldest Tendo daughter.

Once they were in Nabiki's room (again Kasumi showed an uncanny ability to know where he was) Kasumi closed the door gently, going over to Nabiki's bed and shaking her awake.

"You can drop the technique now Ranma. I felt you enter the house." She said quietly. "You don't have any need to hide from either of us. No one will hear us in here, Nabiki had her room sound proofed a few months ago." Ranma blinked at that. He had never thought Kasumi's control of the wa would allow her to see through the umi-ken-sen.

Later when she explained it he realized it wasn't so much that she saw him, but that the umi-ken-sen blocked out what should be there instead. Much like the way one object could block something else from a person's line of sight, the umi-ken-sen blocked her ability to feel the floor he was walking on and the air he was moving through.

Ranma came out of the umi-ken-sen as Nabiki sat up, rubbing her eyes. When she spotted Ranma standing there, she jumped out of bed nearly braining her elder sister in her rush to glomp onto Ranma. "Ranma" she hissed, "Are you alright? It's been crazy here, are you okay, what happened?"

Ranma gulped, fighting back a nosebleed. Nabiki evidently slept in only her underwear, and her perky, large, and very firm breasts were now pressed against his chest with only one very thin layer of material between them. His new level of sensitivity and feelings concerning such things made him nearly lose his head.

Kasumi giggled quietly, moving forward to pull her sister away from the boy of apparently both their dreams as he tried to fight down his blush. She had thought about this before, and felt she had come up with a solution. _It is not a solution a proper Japanese lady should ever consider in this day and age, but it might work_. "Nabiki calm down. We don't want any of those idiots to know he's back."

Ranma blinked at the venom in Kasumi's voice, the tone doubly surprising coming from her. _What the heck has happened here?_

Nabiki reluctantly let go of him, moving to put on a t-shirt, still determined that later she would ask him about the odd claw shaped tattoo she now had on her collarbone. Her sister had pointed it out, though no one else had noticed.

Both girls took a moment to stare at Ranma. Was it just their imaginations, or did he seem taller than he was before, and a little broader too?

Ranma quietly told them the bare bones of what was going on: how he had met two new friends who were willing to introduce him to someone who could possibly help with his curse as well as his new form. How he was leaving right now, and probably not coming back, using it as an excuse to get away from the insanity that was his life.

He hated saying that, especially to the only two people he would really miss, but he had to take this chance.

Nabiki stared at him, half happy he was getting away, half appalled that he was leaving them. They looked at one another for a long time, speaking without words as siblings can, before turning back to Ranma. Kasumi, being the elder spoke for them. "Take us with you!"

A confused five minute explanation gave Ranma the bare bones of what had happened, along with their own reactions to the self-serving blindness of Genma, Soun and Akane, which did not surprise him. Their reactions to it however did, as did his mother's realizing at last how bad things had been. _It ain't enough to make me forgive for her manly crap and the seppuku shit, but it's a start back to sanity anyway._

Ranma reluctantly agreed to take them with him, though inside he was ecstatic and overwhelmed that they cared enough about him to come with him over their own family. _Soun and 'kane ain't much but they're all they know, and they're willing to leave them behind to come with me? Wow, just wow._

Both girls in their own minds had determined to leave the house tomorrow, but this was a far better outcome than they had hoped for, being able to leave together and **with Ranma**!

Ranma left Nabiki's room, going next door to Kasumi's room to bring back a suitcase. Kasumi stayed behind, looking at her younger sister with a faint smile on her face.

The two looked at each other for a moment before Nabiki spoke. "I don't mind sharing Kas-oneechan, so long as we share evenly."

Kasumi smiled back at her, glad her younger sister had come up with the same solution she had. "Everyone has been arguing about ownership for so long, never asking the 'prize' his own feelings, we won't do the same. If he does not wish to choose, then he doesn't have to."

The two girls grinned at one another, before Kasumi gave her sister a brief but heartfelt hug. Moving out of the room on soft feet, even more soundlessly than Ranma had she joined him in her room. The two came back quickly, Kasumi dressed in one of her long skirt and shirt combos. Nabiki was ready to go as well, dressed in her exercise shorts and shirt, with a few pairs of pants and shirts ready to go already packed in her own suitcase.

She was leaving all the clothing that Akane had bought and never used that she had borrowed, as well as anything her father had bought her. _ I want nothing to remind me of either of them. _ _They're dead to me now, I think in some ways they have been for a long time._ Kasumi was not so philosophical about her decision, but she too was leaving with very few regrets, though mainly it was Genma's continued presence in the house that she blamed for her father and Akane's slow descent into madness.

It only took the two girls a few minutes to pack, and even less for Ranma to place the suitcase into his weapon space with the trick he had copied from Mousse's hidden weapons technique.

Ranma moved to the window, looking out at the grounds, making certain they were unobserved before he turned to the girls, a look of consternation crossing his features. _How am I supposed to carry both of them? There's no way they can roof-hop, and Genn's too small to carry either of them._

Just as he was thinking he may have to make two trips and worrying about it, he felt his body suddenly changing. A moment later, he stood there in his new were-cat form, his head brushing the ceiling.

Nabiki and Kasumi started in surprise as both girls felt a jolt of arousal go through them as they took in Ranma's new form. Kasumi stared, unconsciously licking her lips. _Oh my, oh my, this werecat form is much larger and much, __**much**__ more overwhelming in person than in the video. _ Nabiki merely smirked running a hand along Ranma's fur covered side, luxuriating in the feel of it.

Ranma looked himself over for a moment before shrugging. He would have to get a hang of changing into this form but for now, it would be useful. Both girls moved forward as he opened the window. He jumped down to the ground, carrying first one then the other. Once on the ground, he was able to pick up one girl per arm. They both giggled softly at the furry sensation against their waists as he bounded up to the wall next to Genn.

For his part, Genn looked at Ranma quizzically, but at Ranma's tiny nod, shrugged and led them off through the night.

Ranma followed Genn out of the Nerima district and through another ward, moving into the Tokyo Bay area before the Rahkshasa signaled a halt. He motioned to a small warehouse set between two much larger buildings.

Ranma and the girls he was still carrying followed him around the back to a patch of wall that looked much like any other patch. When Genn touched a small wood chip inset into the wall however, the chip moved like a tiny lever and a door recessed out of the wall.

The three native Nerimans blinked as they entered the building. Instead of a small warehouse they found themselves in a downward sloping staircase, the wall lined with metal. Genn explained as they walked down the stairs. "The warehouse above is just a front. It has some special electronics and other gear to keep out prying eyes. The lab's actually below. Gina uses labs like these around the world to store items she collects on her adventures, and recently as teleportation points." He bowed to the two girls, noting that both were still clinging to Ranma, who had yet to let go of them. "I'm Genn by the way."

Kasumi and Nabiki both introduced themselves, looking around from within Ranma's arms. Kasumi for her part was calm, her powers as a mistress of wa helping her find her center. Having made her decision to leave her father and the rest of Nerima behind with Ranma and Nabiki she was fully prepared to deal with anything that came their way, so long as they could stay together. She gazed up into Ranma's handsome leonine countenance. _Yes as long as we are together I do not care where we are._

Nabiki on the other hand could barely contain her excitement. The whole setup reeked of money, and manipulating money was one of her favorite pastimes. This was the start of a new challenge, a new adventure, and unlike the past two years, she would be involved in this one, rather than sitting on the sideline. _I can hardly wait!_

Brianna waited for Ranma with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. She hoped that he had been able to make a clean getaway, and that her family would like him. _Stop that._ She thought to herself, _you just met him, you should get to know him a bit before banging his bones._ As Ranma came into the lab, she gasped, seeing his were-form for the first time without the haze of catnip. She had to stop herself from going into her patented 'hunk tackle'. _24 hours should be enough. Yummy!_

She frowned as she looked at the two girls he was carrying. Evidently, Ranma had not gotten out as cleanly as they could have wished. She sized the two girls up as the three came forward. Both were very pretty, maybe even beautiful. The older one had long brown hair and the kindest face Brianna had ever seen. The younger one had a slightly hard set to her face, but looked very intelligent.

Kasumi and Nabiki in their turn studied the blond girl as Ranma at last set them on their feet. She was tall, taller than either of them, and beautiful, though they were a bit put off by the cheetah stripe on her face. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at Ranma.

Nabiki frowned, but then remembered her talk with Kasumi about not trying to own Ranma. She smirked, deciding to have a little fun. She reached up and stroked Ranma's furry cheek. "Thanks for the _ride_" she put as much emphasis on the word as she could leaning into his side, pressing her breasts against his side, her voice a sensual whisper, "Ranma. But next time I want to ride the 'wild horse' solo."

Kasumi blinked in shock, before blushing and kissing Ranma's cheek, taking one of his hands in her own. "Now now Nabiki you've had your fun before. I think it's my turn to play the captured princess."

Brianna grinned. _These two look like fun_. She decided to join in; watching a werecat with white fur turn red was hilarious. She leaned forward, her loose t-shirt (she had changed, but the clothing on hand left much to be desired) showing a large amount of her cleavage to Ranma as she smirked. "Perhaps he would rather go mountain climbing than princess saving."

Ranma's blush became full body and steam came out of his ears for a few second before he fainted, falling to the metal floor, changing back into his normal body as he hit the floor.

Brianna smirked triumphantly, and Nabiki grinned wickedly. Kasumi blinked. "Oh, my, I think we broke him." Behind the three giggling women, Genn shook his head at their antics.

Brianna introduced herself, and the two sisters did the same, explaining briefly their decision to come with Ranma, describing the 'discussion' last night and their own horror at the willful blindness of their father, Genma and Akane.

Brianna heard them out, and nodded. "Two more won't matter but I have to ask…" Her eyes twitched back to Ranma, resting on the now human boy (and wondering how he had changed back). Kasumi and Nabiki both saw her longing look and smiled to one another. _Another victim of the famous Ranma magnetism; you're either attracted, repelled or sometimes both. At least she isn't going to fight the affect or want to kill him._

Kasumi smiled reaching out and running her fingers through Ranma's hair. "We've decided not to claim him. We're going to share him to put it bluntly, unless he chooses on his own." Brianna smiled, it wasn't normal but neither was she, and after all simply sharing him in terms of flirting wasn't the same thing as sharing him permanently. Kasumi went on. "I would ask however that no force, emotional or mental persuasion be used against him however. If he chooses, it must come completely from him."

Nabiki nodded agreement and Brianna shrugged. From what little Ranma had imparted about himself that seemed only sensible.

Ranma choose that moment to come out of his faint. He looked at the three girls irritably. "That wasn't fair." The three grinned back unrepentantly. He grumbled to himself going into a corner to mediate. Something was bothering him. Behind him, Genn joined Brianna in setting up the teleporter array for more than two people, both of them chatting with Kasumi and Nabiki in an effort to get to know them.

Ranma took up a lotus position, feeling out his ki energy. There had been something off about it since he first changed back to a guy, and he didn't think it had anything to do with his new lion form. _The fact that that idea ain't scaring the life out of me is weird too._ He decided to tackle that problem first.

He reached inside his mind to where he knew his fears resided. He felt them there: Akane's Mallet of Doom™, her cooking, Shampoo's glomps, a never ending period, Kodachi, the weakness moxibustion point, and deep down his worst fear, that of cats. He blinked, nearly coming out of his trance. It wasn't there.

Oh, the fear was still there, but it lacked the overpowering aura that he had come to know. _How the heck did that happen? Could the phoenix pyre have burned it out of me somehow?_

Ranma would have to ask someone about that. _Maybe Genn can do it, though he might not want to, after what happened when he tried to find out about the neko-ken._ Ranma shelved that problem and went on to the next issue.

Ranma was an expert at ki-manipulation and had memorized the ki pathways in his own body years ago, though it was only in the last two that he could make conscious use of ki. He called up his memory of those pathways from his practice session a few days before the fight, and compared them to now.

Ranma frowned. _They are definitely different now. _ _If I have to say which was the normal one, the newer one looks more regular._ _The energies are much more evenly spaced and the pathways don't have the large areas of disuse that the first one had. I wonder why I never wondered about that before. Oh well, it's not like I ever could check out other peoples pathways to compare mine to. Now what could that area be connected to?_

Hebrought to mind a diagram of chakra points, a medical outline Dr. Tofu had in his office. Ranma held the three images in his mind, wondering where the blockage and dead areas he had seen would be on a normal person. He frowned in concentration, trying to understand.

It came to him in a flash, and he fought down a blush. _My sexual energies, or libido. The points of disuse match up exactly to where the areas that control sexual desire would be on a normal person. _He blushed, nearly coming out of his meditation trance. _No wonder I've been reacting so much more than normal to Brianna and Nabiki. Kasumi's hot too. Carrying them in my arms was heaven and hell._

He mentally shook himself, getting back on track. _If I'm normal in that way now, and I think I am going by the doc's chart, why was my body so messed up in the first place?_

Ranma sent his mind back, trying to think of the first time he had noticed girls. A brief memory of talking to his father about what the old man called a 'stiffy' after sparring with the daughter of a dojo master came to him. _I must have been about twelve._ He remembered being worked even harder than normal because he had been wasting time on something other than the art. The next day Ranma remembered he was sore in odd places along his back and chest, and he never had the problem again. Ranma growled low in his throat, blue eye snapping open in rage as he came out of his meditation.

Kasumi and Nabiki looked up in concern, turning with Brianna and Genn to see Ranma jump to his feet and smash his fist into the metal wall. Brianna blinked at the large dent he put there as he began to curse vilely. "Damn it old man, you piece of shit asshole son of a bitch bastard! Is there any fucking part of my fucking life that you have not crapped up you panda brained waste of skin?!"

Nabiki and the others walked over to him cautiously. "Ranma, what's wrong?"

He thought of how to explain it, and decided for once just to come out and say it, though by the time he was done he was sporting another full body blush.

For their part, the girls were amused and appalled in turn. The fact that Genma had gone so far to remove a potential distraction did not surprise them, the invasive way he did so appalled them.

Nabiki smirked stretching her body and enjoying how Ranma's eyes latched onto her legs as they flexed. She had often gotten him to blush before, but now she saw real desire in his eyes, and it lit a pool of lava inside her.

Brianna was at a loss at first, but Genn explained it to her, his own horror at the manipulation coming through clearly. Brianna suggested having her father look at that too when he tried to help Ranma with his curse and his new form.

Kasumi in particular found it both tragic and funny. _It does explain why none of his suitors were ever able to get a rise out of him, so to speak. _"I wonder"Kasumi said idly,"what the girls would do to Genma if they found out about this. Maybe we should find some way to tell them." Everyone laughed, even Ranma as he wondered what kind of punishment Shampoo and Ukyo would mete out on the old man.

The three girls flirted with Ranma for a few minutes. Brianna smiling left her two new friends to it and went back with Genn to input their destination on the teleporter. With all the security devices and signal blocking junk Gina had in her lab, going back was far more difficult than leaving.

Ten minutes later she made one final calculation then pushed the power button. A wave of distortion appeared in the air, and beyond it they could see another lab, though much larger and filled with machinery. She turned to her new friends, picking up one of the bags. "Alright everybody, we are good to go."

Kasumi and Nabiki looked at Ranma, who took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. _ I walk through there I'll be travelling across the whole world, maybe never to return._ He looked back on the hell that had been his life the past few years, the crap his old man had put him through for the last fourteen, his mother and the rivals he would be leaving behind. More and more he found his mind dominated by the two women next to him who were willing to follow him and the adventures Brianna had described to him, the look of loneliness that he had briefly seen on her face that his presence somehow dispelled.

Ranma at last nodded resolutely moving forward with quick, sure strides, picking up the largest bag in one hand and taking Brianna's hand with the other. She smiled. Nabiki and Kasumi held one another's hand and followed after them, Genn bringing up the rear.

Between one footfall and the other, they all disappeared leaving Tokyo behind and stepping into Gina''s lab under the Digger's household in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States.

Elsewhere, the day would begin normally for the residents of Japan's most insane district. It would not stay that way.

Cologne was beside herself with fury, failing to find any trace of son-in-law or the Dragon's Vow. She left Shampoo behind; the emotional girl was completely besotted by Ranma's new werecat body, and useless for delicate work. She was a fine warrior (in fact the training she had been under since arriving in Nerima put her near the skill level of an Elder), but thinking ahead and subtlety were beyond her. It sometimes made Cologne despair, after all Shampoo was not only heir to her martial arts techniques, but also her position as Matriarch.

Mousse had disappeared as well, ostensibly to check up on Ryoga at the hospital. Cologne had her own suspicions there, but had little energy to waste on a worthless male like him.

After a fruitless night searching via magical and mundane means for son-in-law, Cologne finally admitted defeat, and decided to stake out the Tendo house and see what transpired. Thus, she was on hand to see what happened there when Happosai returned from his sojourn and found his heir gone.

Happosai was **old**, such was obvious to anyone who saw his shriveled body and aged face. It was in guessing precisely how old where people messed up. Cologne was a little over three hundred years old, and placed his own age at around the same. This was what he had led her to believe when they first met all those years ago, and he had gone out of his way to make her think it was the truth ever since.

He was in fact a little over a thousand years old. Throughout that time, he had used various means to both lengthen said life and avoid drawing attention to it. He moved every fifty years or so, sometimes even between dimensions, and very rarely came back to an area once he moved on. His ability to regain energy and ki from women's under garments was always his preferred method of renewal. He truly was a pervert, letch and all around depraved person.

What he was not was cruel, self-delusional or idiotic. He had known at the time of the wedding that forcing Akane and Ranma together would be disastrous not only for them, but for his school and the future of both families. He had acted to prevent this, (and had fun doing it) because he didn't want to see that happen. As for drinking the so called cure…

Happosai knew there was no such thing as a cure for Jusenkyo curses. If you tried to cure one with another, they simply mixed. In this case, the curse would simply have merged with the spring of drowned man and turned Ranma's female form into a hermaphrodite, something that made the old pervert shudder just thinking about it.

Happposai had left town to allow the boy time to cool off from the Wedding Fiasco, and maybe try to solve some of the problems that had sprung up around him. He hoped to see Ranma's mental and emotional age catch up with his martial arts skill. Since meeting Cologne he had begun to feel his age at times, and that age was very long indeed. Soun, Genma, and Tendo dojo mattered little to him. All that did was the school itself, his legacy. _Ranma…_

In all his 1,000 years, Happosai had never met anyone with the potential Ranma showed. His other disciples like Leep and Shindosai had been good of course, even Genma and Soun had been decent martial artists when they were younger, but Ranma… He could do things with his ki and the art that masters four times his age could not. His adaptability and talent for learning were truly phenomenal. He had met every challenge thrown at him, surpassed every limitation. At a little over 18, Ranma was almost the equivalent of a weapons master in Jade (a post that Happosai had held four hundred or so years ago), and he was only going to get better.

When he came back to Nerima, he was shocked to find no ki trace of his heir. Ranma's residual ki pattern was unique, due to his father's idiocy sometime in the past. Happosai had allowed that particular piece of foolishness to stand, as he knew that suddenly fixing it would only complicate the chaos Ranma had attracted since arriving in Nerima. He grinned wryly, hoping from one house to another. _After all, who could withstand the rush of seven or more years of hormones and not do something stupid, especially with several exotic and gorgeous girls amorously pursuing you?_ He had no idea why Dr. Tofu did the same before he left Nerima. _Perhaps the doctor simply did not know how to fix it, and did not want to make things worse by mentioning it? _

_As for Cologne, her ability to read ki patterns is not as high as she likes to think, and her obsession with magic and using ki offensively has blinded her to the more subtle arts._

That ki pattern was now gone. Only a faint trace of it remained in the school, along with a lot of blood. The blood at one area was Ranma's. Happosai could tell because it was saturated in his ki pattern, as well as some residual feelings. Regret, hate, and determination so strong it was astonishing to the old master.

_Whatever happened here was major. _ He looked at the deep gashes in the ground and the three giant slashes that had sliced into the school building. Blood was splattered everywhere around the field but Happosai could not tell whose it had been, though some of it had Ryoga's depressed aura clinging to it.

_This could only have been done by the neko-ken, another example of Genma's idiocy which he has yet to pay for_. Happosai shook his head. _I won't find any clues here. Best to go home and find out what's going on from the panda's mouth as it were._

When he arrived home, he found Soun wailing in the living room, bemoaning the loss of his daughters. Genma was in panda from, trying to comfort the man, or perhaps trying to escape the weeping fool's death grip, one or the other. None of the three girls were present, nor was Ranma himself.

Happosai jumped from the dojo's outer wall into the living room, smacking Soun upside the head with his pipe. "Why the water works, Soun? What's been going on here since my absence?"

Soun let go of Genma and the two prostrated themselves before Happosai, long ingrained habits yet again overriding both thought and spine. "Oh, master, it's terrible, my daughters, and Genma's boy…" Both men tried to explain what had been going on from their own warped point of view, failing miserably to give their master any idea of what had been going on.

During this diatribe, Akane came down, literally glowing red in anger, her fists clenched around two letters. "When I find that pervert, I'm going to make him wish he had never been born, leaving us to go with some new tramp friends!" She paused, looking nervous for a second before she stomped over to the TV, where the video recorder was still connected.

Happosai intercepted her. "Ah, Akane, I missed you so!" He jumped onto her chest rejuvenating himself slightly by fondling her and drinking in her aura. She screamed and tried to get him off her, and he deftly jumped off, snatching the camcorder and the letters out of her hands. "What's all this?"

Genma leaped up and tried to take it away from him, but Happosai deftly dodged away and hit play at the same time, looking into the small video screen attached to the camcorder. Soun tried to help Genma and Akane but was next to useless.

For the next twenty minutes, the aged master dodged all three as they attempted to get the letters and recorder back, while watching the video on the camera. They also tried to convince him of their own view of the events yesterday, but he was no longer listening.

After he finished viewing the video, Happosai stopped dodging. His hands flashed out swiftly, gently touching several pressure points on Akane, freezing her in place. Next thing the infuriated girl felt was a sharp hot pain at the middle of her back. Then he summarily pummeled Soun and Genma into submission, throwing the one onto the other to make himself a makeshift cushion. Tapping his pipe out on Genma's skull, he looked thoughtfully at Akane, taking a long drag before speaking.

"Akane-chan I have always thought your love taps on Ranma and I was endearing, but what you did was beyond stupid. Your anger is out of control. I have no choice but to cast you out of the school. You are forbidden to perform any martial arts of the Anything Goes School until you can demonstrate to me that you can control your emotions. I put the weakness moxibustion on you, and it will remain in place until then. My school is not for bullies or berserkers, and certainly not for killers."

Underneath him, his two seat cushions tried to complain but he ignored them. Akane glared at him angrily from her stasis, though he could see the shock at that last accusation hitting home. He sighed sorrowfully. _To think her anger was that strong, and she herself that blind? I should never have allowed her to go so long without training, but think about what she could do with real martial arts skills and that anger of hers._

He turned away from the still seething Akane to the letters.

One was written in Ranma's untidy hand. _How the boy learned martial arts calligraphy and still writes like a monkey is beyond me._

Everyone, ah'm sorry to do this, but I figger it's da only way

ta get away from everything. I got this new cat form, but I

can't control it. Luckily, I ran inta some people who can help me.

I ain't coming back after what happened.

I just can't face Akane after this. Tell Nabiki I'm sorry for

flirting wit' her like I did, I got no idea why that happened.

Maybe I'll see you all again, maybe not.

Ranma.

Happosai shook his head. He agreed with Ranma's decision to leave, he had thought the boy would have to soon in any case, though the fact he had chosen to leave rather than been forced to become ronin for the sake of his own sanity and honor was a good sign. _These friends he mentions also interest me._

He pulled out the other letter. It was written in Nabiki's precise handwriting, though the grandmaster of Anything Goes could read extreme anger in it.

**To the bastard Genma, my so-called father and my delusional baby sister.**

**By the time you read this letter, Kasumi and I will be gone.**

**For a long time, we have been appalled by how our family has treated Ranma,**

**who has only ever treated us with kindness,. You have never been a **

**good father Soun, but your response to the travesty yesterday, and **

**Akane, your reaction to it, was the last straw. Kasumi and I both feel that **

**this family with you in it is beyond help, and have decided to leave and make new lives for ourselves elsewhere. Don't try to find us, as I will be using **

**my considerable talents to hide our trail. **

**Yours in anger, Nabiki and Kasumi **

There were several lines crossed out and overwritten, and Happosai easily pictured Kasumi restraining Nabiki from saying more about her father and the others.

_I always thought Nabiki was hiding her feelings for young Ranma, but I wanted the young ice mage to continue to grow in control before trying to do anything about the Tendo/Saotome agreement. She doesn't even know what she is yet, and she already boasts a power I haven't seen outside of Jade in centuries. Kimiko would be proud of her, unlike her husband._

Sighing, he looked down at the useless bags of flesh that had once been his students. _Genma always had a bit of skill, but no honor or drive to speak of, and Soun has lost what little spine and skill he had when his wife died. _ He was tempted to forbid them the use of his school, but knew it would be pointless.

Comparing them to Ranma or even his rivals was like comparing wine to swine. _I will have to find him somehow. Ranma is the only person here that had me coming back anyway._ "I'll be leaving soon. If I find Ranma I may bring him back if I feel it will meet his training needs. Farewell." Hoping off them, he leapt out of the room, landing once more on the outer wall.

"What have you got there Happy?" Colognes voice rang out behind him, and he chuckled. He had felt her arrival, and her involvement came as no surprise.

"Something you would be very interested Cologne-chan. However, I think someone else would be even more interested." He tossed her the camera, and she caught it reflexively. "The letters you can look at the same time as Nodoka. I'm a pervert, but I'm not heartless. A woman deserves to know what happened to her son."

Cologne glared at him, but followed the old man as he roof hopped away. _The old fool is right, and I don't want to fight him now. Besides, if I get my hand on that letter, certain items in my possession will let me track son-in-law no matter where he goes._

Ukyo opened the back door of her restaurant to see the ancient duo standing there and she screamed in horror. "The end is coming; Happosai and Cologne are working together! Everyone run for your lives!"

Happosai chuckled and risked a quick fondle, jumping away before Konatsu could do anything. He was not afraid of the kunoichi, but he did not want to get into a fight with the transvestite right now, the only one who came close to matching Ranma's speed and quickness, though he lacked strength and ki manipulation.

Cologne shook her head at his antics. "Enough child, we aren't working together. We have business with Nodoka and yourself. Is she awake?"

Nodoka's voice came from inside the restaurant, telling Ukyo and Konatsu to let them in. Happosai trotted in, keeping a fair amount of distance between herself and Nodoka, who had her katana out and was sharpening it. She looked at the two ancient martial artists expectantly.

Happosai handed the two letters over, noticing that Mousse was standing next to the woman. Nodoka read both letters swiftly, and visibly relaxed finding out her son was alive and well. The other letter shocked her, but it was no longer her concern. "Kasumi and Nabiki did well to leave that house. Short of expelling their own father and little sister from the clan there was little they could do there and that would take outside intervention to occur." Mousse and Ukyo both blinked and reached for that letter, reading it together. "Still, my son is alive. I must trust that he will get in contact with me when he can. Until then, I will remain here. Thank you for bringing this letter to me Master Happosai." Happosai nodded, and asked her to fill him in on what happened the night before from her own perspective.

As he was doing this Cologne scooped up the letter from Ranma and the video camera and left hurriedly. She did not even care that she left Mousse behind, and he breathed a sigh of relief as she left. Beside him, Konatsu and Ukyo smiled encouragingly. The three of them had always gotten along, never being in direct conflict with one another (except for the times when Mousse forgot his glasses and hugged one of them crying 'Shampoo').

Nodoka had in fact already begun pushing adoption papers through the local judge's office for all three children. It would allow Ukyo's honor to remain intact and get her away from her own father, who was clearly as bad as Genma, if more successful in the business world.

She also fell sorry for Konatsu, whose own family was abusive and domineering. Surprisingly Mousse had come to her and asked for it in his case. A letter from home had informed him of his grandmothers passing, and with her dead, all his ties to the Amazon nation were gone save for his infatuation with Shampoo, which he was reconsidering. Nodoka had agreed to help her in return for his agreeing to work at Ukyo's restaurant.

Once her divorce was finalized and Nodoka returned to her previous Ashikage clan, those adoptions would go through the system very quickly indeed. This was not a betrayal of her son, more a way to both help him and in some fashion, pay for her own mistakes in the past by helping three young people who desperately needed to change their own lives, and had no real families of their own.

Happosai listened as Nodoka recounted the argument from last night and he shook his head. He would have to do something about Genma and Soun, to keep them from running after Ranma again. He would keep them under wraps as long as possible. Akane would no longer be a problem. _And it looks as if Nodoka-san has already taken steps to create a new family around herself to await her sons return. Now, how do I go about finding him? Maybe it's time to call in a few favors._

About three hours later, Shampoo and Cologne descended on the small warehouse where Brianna and the others had teleported. They entered the small warehouse by blasting through the wall, ready for battle. "The Dragons vow must be reclaimed Shampoo, regardless of son-in-law or his new friends." Shampoo nodded somewhat reluctantly, but followed her inside, bonbori at the ready. Inside they found… nothing.

The lab was empty of people, and neither Amazon was able to understand any of the scientific devices left behind. The trail led into a large metal ring, and vanished. The two Amazons spent a fruitless hour poking and prodding at everything in the underground lab before giving up.

Cologne sighed. "Enough child. We will not find any clues here. It is time we returned to the village. We will need help to continue this hunt." _And I must explain the loss of the Dragon's Vow in person, and pay for it as well._


	4. Chapter 3 Through the Looking Glass

Let me just say to anyone who has been reading my stories thank you for persevering through without the scene breaks. Thank you all.

I do not own Ranma or Gold Digger. I would like to date Brianna though, does that count? Daily update will be ending today, as real life during the week well get in my way. I'll update again on Wednesday.

I want to give a shout out to Nysk, the man who wrote Vicissitude, the story that inspired me and who gives good reviews as well, and Jokulmander, who gives thoughtful and well thought out reviews. Someone pointed out how much my story looks like Nysk's, and that has been true up to this point, but it will be changing from this chapter on into truly new territory.

**Chapter 3: Through the looking glass**

(Those of you who get the reference get a gold star!)

Nabiki looked around them slightly awed by the amount of cutting edge technology on display in the room. "One small step and all that," she muttered.

Brianna smiled, putting her bags down. She opened a door at the far side of the lab, the others following her. "Gina, Brit, anyone home?" _ With the time delay from Japan to Georgia, it's about seven o'clock here, so someone should still be around._

The echoes of her shout hadn't died away when Gina Diggers rounded the far corner at a run. "Brianna where in the world have you been, are you okay? I didn't think getting those parts I sent you for would take so long. You know dad and mom are leaving on their renewed honeymoon, we're all supposed to be on hand to wish them a safe trip." Gina stopped, looking at Kasumi and Nabiki who peered around from behind Brianna in the labs doorway. "Who are your friends?"

"Hey Brianna, you want us to let these bags here or what?"

Brianna turned around in the doorway. Just leave 'em on the small table there Ranma."

At the sound of a male voice Gina walked forward looking into the lab as Brianna walked back inside, putting her own bag on the designated table.

Gina's breath caught in her throat. The young man standing in front of her was hhhooottt! He looked a little scrawnier and quite a bit younger than she usually liked, but it was obvious that he had muscle and he was very handsome. _The little pony tail is cute too._

Ranma set the bags down and moved away to stand by Nabiki and Kasumi, who had moved out of the lab to stand in the hall. Gina's eye widened at how fluid he moved. It was like watching a gymnast or a dancer, but all he was doing was walking. _Yummy!_

Brianna smirked at her sister before standing in her line of sight. "This is Ranma, Nabiki and Kasumi. Ranma has a few problems I want to ask Dad's opinion about. It's really confusing so I want to explain it all at once."

Gina nodded, reigning in her curiosity as she motioned everyone out of the lab to lead the way upstairs. She teasingly pinched Ranma's butt as he passed. "I can't wait to hear it." She giggled as he jumped back blushing, enjoying his panic attack only to blink as both of the new girls grabbed an arm each and calmed him down, glaring at her at the same time.

Upstairs they found Dr. Diggers and his wife Julia preparing to leave for a vacation in Jade, an alternate dimension where most of the magical creatures and species had fled after the ascendance of technology among humanity. They were going on a new honeymoon to celebrate Julia's having been cured of a curse that had prevented her from being with her family for more than a day each year.

Brittany and her husband Stripe, prince of El Dorado, and Séance, Theo's apprentice, were already saying goodbye to them when Brianna, Genn and their unexpected guests came in.

The reaction was varied. Nabiki and Kasumi saw the were-cheetah female and the man-cat and immediately braced for the worst, but except for a brief twitch, and a nervous look Ranma stayed in control of himself.

Ranma himself kept most of his attention on the woman and the older man in front of him. The others were interesting but no real threat, but these two carried themselves like seasoned warriors. He could tell that Julia Diggers was a martial artist of some kind, her ki levels were incredibly high and controlled, even more than the old ghoul and the letch and she stood with that certain surety that marked her as a warrior. The older man was a mystery to him, confident, but without the build or sense of martial artist. Something told Ranma to be very careful around him though.

For their part Séance and Theodore Diggers were nearly in shock. Both of them could see the aura's of individuals, and never had either seen an aura as chaotic and plain fucked up as Ranma's. To Theo, the young women were also interesting. _One seems to have the potential to be an element mage, and the other… it has been many years since I have met a master of wa._

Julia's eyes twitched in interest at how fluid and graceful the newcomer was. The two young women seemed normal enough, but the man exuded confidence and strength far beyond what his apparent age should allow for. His ki also blazed with a fierce strength she had rarely seen before. Theo coughed delicately, "Who are your new friends, daughter?"

A very short round of introductions followed, while Theo tried not to get lost in his study of Ranma's complex aura. There were things there that he had never seen before, and the mage in him was intrigued by the challenge. _But as to my daughter's explanation… _"I can tell that there is more to this that you are not telling us, but that is fine for now. I may be able to help you with your Jusenkyo curse after a period of study. I have heard of the place before, but have never encountered someone suffering from one of its curses. However as my wife and I are on our way out, that will have to wait for our return."

Ranma took the news stoically. He hadn't thought a solution would be easy to come by after all. Theo went on "As to your recent trouble I can probably help you there as well, though it will require even more research and time. I'm an aura mage, and I do not use magical artifacts or scrolls myself. Off the top of my head, how you acquired your new form is a complete mystery to me as you describe the event. Perhaps you could show it to us?"

Ranma shook his head. "I really don't know how to change sir." Ranma was being on his best behavior here, with Kasumi and Nabiki on either side ready to pull ears or stomp on feet if he was anything but polite. "As your daughter said, I've only had it fer less than a day."

Theo nodded. "I see. Well what I will do is I'll copy your aura into an aura crystal now, and then compare it to what it looks like when my wife and I return. That way I will have two samples to study and can detect any changes or long-term issues. If you'll excuse me."

Julia meanwhile had been silent after Brianna's brief description of the fight. She had heard of Cologne and the Chinese Amazons from their fellows in Jade, and what she had just heard was unflattering in the extreme. _I hope there won't be trouble there._ She was also intrigued by something else. As her husband left she stood forward. "You say you are or were a student of the Anything Goes school right? I've heard of that school in conjunction with an old perverted master by the name of Happosai."

Kasumi and Nabiki both stiffened but Ranma simply shrugged. "If he's stolen anything from you, I can't 'xactly repay it. As for the old pervert himself, he's still around somewhere. He trained my father and Soun Tendo, the father of Kasumi and Nabiki here." He took their hands briefly, giving them both a squeeze before letting go. Both girls smiled at the contact, already seeing a small change in Ranma's attitude. "I really don't think I follow Anything Goes style anymore though. I've picked up so many other styles and incorporated them into my own that it doesn't resemble the original at all. And it's not like I ever acknowledged the old freak as my master."

Julia nodded. She had heard of Happosai from master Leep, her old teacher. According to Leep, he had studied under Happosai for a time before going back to Jade to establish his own style of martial arts. "You say you never acknowledged him, does that mean he never did the same?"

Ranma shrugged. "He tried, but after I started whooping" Kasumi lightly pinched his side and Nabiki did the same for his rear. He twitched visibly and hurriedly went on "I mean after I started beating him whenever we sparred he stopped. As it is I can beat Happosai three out of five times." _And that was before Saffron and the heart of Fire. Now, who knows?_

Julia grinned, a wicked idea coming to her. _ After all, it doesn't seem like either new girl has laid claim to this young man yet, nor has Brianna. And both Brianna and Gina are looking interested in him…_ Her approval of Ryan Tabbot had plummeted since her first positive impression of him. He had the memory skills but not the drive or the work ethic of a true marital artist. "Perhaps you'll be willing to pay for your stay with us then. My daughters are adventurers of a sort, and go on dangerous expeditions a lot. Would you be willing to be their bodyguard during your stay with us?"

Ranma nodded excitedly, but Gina looked appalled and Brit spoke up hastily. "Wait a sec mom, I know he's a martial artist and all but he can't be that good. He'd just be a liability out in the field."

Ranma frowned and before either Tendo girl could stop him, disappeared, reappearing an instant later with one hand resting lightly on the back of Brit's neck. "Bang." She swung around but he danced away bowing apologetically to Stripe as he did so. "If ya want to see if I'm good enough to hang with you, we can go spar outside or something, though from the way you react it won't be much of a match."

Before her outraged daughter could interject further Julia spoke up, hiding her own surprise at Ranma's speed and the technique he had used. This was after all just what she wanted. "That's settled then. Stripe can be the referee and if Ranma wins, he'll be your new bodyguard girls. And when we get back Ranma, I want to test you myself. I'm certain there's a lot we can learn from each other."

Ranma nodded, grinning widely at the idea of finding a new teacher. "I would like that a lot master Diggers?"

He cocked his head and Julia grinned, liking the boy already, "Master Julia student." Brit grumbled but decided just to beat the newbie into the ground later. Stripe kept his own council. He was afraid his fiancée was in for a shock.

Nabiki and Kasumi smiled, as did Brianna and Genn, who had made their own evaluation of Ranma's skill level. Gina was neutral in this discussion. _After all if he loses, I get to nurse the hunk back to health, and if he wins I get a new bodyguard. It's a win-win for me!_ She began to giggle manically under her breath, causing the others to take a step back from her.

At that point, Dr. Diggers returned, teleporting into the living room. Ranma blinked, and narrowed his eye, trying to understand the energies he was seeing. _Teleporting like that in a fight would be way cool._ Theo carried a large purple crystal which he handed to Ranma. "Hold this for a moment."

Ranma took it, and Dr. Diggers stepped back and muttered a quick incantation. Ranma felt a brief pull, as if his entire body was being pulled by some force, but it went away quickly. The crystal glowed for a moment, burning with a white light, before turning changing to a green color. "That's that. Now if there are no more interruptions, my wife and I have an appointment with a portal." He handed the crystal to Séance, who took it gingerly, putting it away in his pocket for later.

The two parents kissed their children and waved goodbye, stepping through into a portal opened by a small scroll, which consumed itself as they stepped through.

Ranma turned to Brit, and seeing her determined expression sighed. He turned to Stripe. "You want to be the referee or you wanta join in? I don't mind two on one."

Gina blinked at the young man's ego, and Brit's glare hardened. _Just for that bud, I'm gonna hurt you. _ Stripe correctly read his fiancées mood and said diplomatically "I will just referee at the moment."

Kasumi clapped her hands. "In that case, I'll start dinner. Be ready to eat in an hour everyone."

Gina and Brianna made to protest as Brit led Ranma and Stripe outside. "Oh no, we really can't let a guest cook it'd be just…." She broke off as she ran into the full force of Kasumi's smile. Somehow that smile made all her protests seem silly and she floundered to a halt.

Nabiki nodded sympathetically, leaning in close to Gina as Brianna followed Kasumi to the kitchen. "We call it the Kasumi effect: anyone who runs into that smile of hers simply can't say no, no matter what. It's uncanny." Gina nodded, thankful her mother had never learned to smile like that. The two followed Ranma and the two cat-people out to watch the match.

* * *

Outside the two combatants faced off. Brit was angry, and looking to put this punk in his place, but she didn't want to hurt him too badly. _He isn't enhanced like Diashi or Zelda after all and if he can't control his were-form, this is going to be no contest, whatever the punk thinks. _ "Last chance kid. Back off now, and I won't hurt you."

Ranma smirked at her before turning to Stripe. "As the judge and da neutral party, you set the conditions for the bout."

Stripe nodded, sighing inwardly. He had an extensive martial arts background, far more than his wife had despite her enhanced abilities. While those abilities were phenomenal, her arrogance was a little worrisome. "The bout will be no holds barred hand to hand combat, the limits being the back lawn of the Digger's household. The bout will end when one of the combatants gives up, is no longer able to fight, or stays on the ground for a count of ten. Agreed?"

Ranma simply nodded, and Brit grinned nodding rapidly. Stripe raised his hand before lowering it swiftly "Begin!"

Brit charged forward, using only a small amount of her speed, more than enough, or so the thought, to overwhelm her opponent.

Instead of her right hook connecting with his chin though she found her hand in a vice and she felt a heel connect with her own jaw as Ranma used her arm like a bar, standing on it to deliver the kick.

The blow wasn't the strongest she felt, nowhere near Thabian the werewolf's blows, but far harder than her opponent should have been able to do given his apparent muscle mass.

It knocked her back a few yards but she charged forward again throwing punches left and right.

Ranma ducked and dogged, reading everything Brit did as easily as a coloring book. "You're fast, but you got no training do you? I would guess you would be a second dan in kenpo max. Amateur." Here Ranma was not being insulting so much as stating a fact. Akane, who was the least trained of his associates back home, was a fourth level dan in karate and judo. Most of the citizenry in Nerima was a dan or black belt in one marital art or another. Ranma himself was so far beyond the dan system it wasn't even funny.

Brit was becoming more irritated by the moment. She was throwing all she had at this guy and here he was critiquing her! She tried to use her feet, kicking out swiftly, but again Ranma read the move perfectly, kicking her other leg out from under her and flipping her through the air to land heavily twenty feet away.

_She's got the speed, but she's not using it like she should. Now, if I remember right, cheetahs are supposed to be rockets so her next move should be…_ Ranma again read Brittany right. The moment she stood up, she sprinted forward at amazing speeds trying to catch him off guard. Instead, he took to the air above her. He landed several hard punches to her head before Brit was out of range.

Cheetah shook her head woozily. She had felt the impact of at least fifteen punches there. She realized now that she would have to take this fight seriously. She came in slowly, aiming to surprise Ranma. First she threw punch after punch watching as he dodged them but then when he tried to punch back, she immediately went on the defensive, catching his arm.

She grinned. With her enhanced strength there was no way he was going to get free. She threw her other arm forward, punching as fast as she could, not throwing all her strength into each punch and just concentrating on speed.

Ranma grinned and shouted "katchu Tenchin Amaguriken" and suddenly his own free hand was moving almost as fast as her own was and with far more skill, blocking or redirecting her punches.

Brit grimaced realizing she was still underestimating him, and made to back off and rethink her strategy when Ranma grabbed her punching arm, flipping into the air over her head and threw her again.

This time though he stayed with her in mid-air, fingers flashing out to touch pressure points. By the time she landed, Brittany couldn't even move a single muscle.

She lay on her back completely overwhelmed. A hand softly touched her throat. "Match over," Ranma said simply.

Stripe shook his head resignedly. "Match over. Ranma wins due to incapacitating Brittany." He strode forward as Ranma knelt by Cheetah, touching the pressure points to release her body from its stasis. "I have never seen that style before. Perhaps tomorrow you and I can spar and you can teach me?"

Ranma nodded, moving away from the humbled cat-girl as his distaste for felines came back now that he wasn't so irritated. "Sure. I wanna teach Brittany some pressure points of her own. With her speed, even if some are blocked she could hit others."

Cheetah ruefully accepted her boyfriend's hand up and followed Ranma over to where Nabiki and Gina stood. She nodded toward Ranma. "If we're talking bodyguards, he gets my vote. I've never been schooled that badly before."

Ranma shrugged. "I've met a lot of people who think they're the best 'cause they stopped learnin'. That's part of why I wanted to leave Nerima so badly, so I can continue ta learn. And having someone who can move faster than me will make for some great spars, if you're willin' that is."

The cat girl nodded thoughtfully, and Stripe smiled. Ranma's attitude, while crudely put, mirrored his own thoughts about the martial arts.

Nabiki had watched the fight thoughtfully. She knew Ranma would find a way to win, though the ease with which he did surprised her. Brianna too was surprised at how fast Ranma won.

For her part Gina was stunned that her baby sister lost so easily. _I expected this guy to be good, maybe on Ryan's level, but he's __**way**__ better than that. And he moves like a freaking dream. Standing still he's hot, moving he's …. Mmmmm!_

She grabbed one of his arms pulling him close. "Well now that the sweaty stuff is over with, let me give you the grand tour."

Before Ranma could do more than stammer and blush Nabiki had latched on to Gina and Brianna had taken his other arm. "Sure, Ranma and I would love a tour."

Gina grumped but complied, making their way inside.

Brittany looked after them and then she and Stripe began to laugh. It looked like things were going to be more interesting around here for a while. Given their normal days, Brit wasn't too certain if this was a good thing.

* * *

Dinner was a very pleasant affair. The food was incredible as usual coming from Kasumi, despite the fact she was cooking American cuisine for the first time. All of the regular residents agreed that her tuna salad was phenomenal, as well as her sandwiches. It was clear none of the Diggers would protest her control of the kitchen. Ranma and Nabiki were certain that within a few days Kasumi would have taken control of all of the household chores and everything else in the house. Ranma could already vaguely feel the wa of the house coming alive and shifting toward her.

Everyone was talking, sharing information and discussing Ranma's problems. Nabiki did most of the talking for the newcomers, Kasumi not liking to speak ill of anyone, and Ranma always hated talking about himself except when it came to martial arts. She painted a very grim picture of her father and Genma, while treading lightly around Akane and not mentioning the other fiancées or rivals except for Kuno's family.

In return, Gina and her sisters described their adventures, going into detail on the adventures which led to meeting Genn and Stripe. Nabiki practically drooled at the mention of the city of gold, much to the amusement of Kasumi and Ranma. Her face at learning that it was fool's gold had everyone at the table laughing, even Stripe.

All of the Diggers were surprised when they learned how young Ranma and the others were. Kasumi was 21, the same as Brittany, but Nabiki was 19, and Ranma had just turned 18 a little over a month ago. Every one there was appalled when they learned that he had never really had a birthday. Kasumi had thrown him a small party when he turned 17 at the Tendo house, but even she had not been able to throw him a birthday this year, as he had been in China at the time due to the Saffron incident. Gina was shocked to learn that Ranma was partly to blame for the destruction of not one but two mountains in the past two years in his battles with Saffron and Herb, phenomena she had heard about before.

Brittany was the most surprised of her sisters. While Gina and Brianna were going into shock ("how can he be so young with a body like that") she focused on his skill. She knew from her own training that it would take a normal person a lifetime to get as good as Ranma was. Kasumi quietly informed her though that the rest of Ranma's life had atrophied to pay for his skills. Ranma was embarrassed by this admission, but had never really known any other life.

Nabiki took this opportunity to drive home Genma's stupidity to their new housemates. "Let's see there was the cat-fist training, which Brianna already mentioned. Oh, feel free to speak up if I miss anything Ranma." Ranma twitched, wondering what and how much Nabiki knew about his training. "The next worse in my opinion was the anti-poison training. Genma had Ranma steal snakes from zoos with his bare hands. Then there was the lion's cub training. He threw Ranma down a cliff and tossed rocks after him to test his dodging ability and speed. And then there was the time he had you get chased by angry shopkeepers, who he ripped off, to build on your evasion and endurance. He also thought that the best way to teach Ranma how to swim was to throw him into the ocean with bleeding steaks tied to him to attract sharks."

"What-the, that's not training that's child abuse!" Gina and the others were horrified.

Nabiki nodded. "There was no real difference in Genma's mind. Then there was the time he taught you speed techniques by throwing hornet's nests at you, and how he toughened you up against Ryoga's attacks by tying you to a wrecking ball and using it to knock down a building. Those two actually happened during his stay with our family. I had videos of both back home."

"Um, Nabiki," Ranma asked hesitantly as everyone else tried to keep their gorge from rising, "how exactly do you know about the shopkeeper and the lion and snake training?"

Nabiki smirked at him, reaching out to playfully poke his forehead. "Because I'm good at finding things out, and I was interested about these Saotome people who suddenly moved into our house."

Ranma flushed guiltily and Nabiki smiled softly. "Don't worry about it Ranma. All of your crimes stopped around the time you were ten, and before that you were clearly a minor under bad parental influence. No one could blame you for following your fathers training ideas, you didn't know any better."

Gina crossed her arms angrily. "I'm just as mad at his mother, allowing that bastard to take him away when he was so young. What was she thinking?" Genn and Séance nodded agreement.

Kasumi spoke up. "I don't think Auntie Nodoka was thinking very clearly at that time in her life. I do know that she came to regret that decision and regretted not being part of her son's life. Now, can I interest anyone in seconds?"

From then on, everyone made a point to keep the conversation going without hitting on Ranma's past. Nabiki, Genn and Gina discussed movies, and Brit, Ranma, and Stripe talked about exercise and martial arts. Brianna, Séance and Kasumi strangely enough talked about cooking recipes.

Brianna also pushed her for information about Ranma, his likes/dislikes, and his habits. The unattached Diggers girls also flirted on and off with Ranma, who did not respond as they had hoped, instead showing anxiety and fear at their very physical flirtations. Nabiki noticed this and scowled. _The mallet casts a long shadow._

After dinner, Gina and Brianna went down to their lab while Brit, Ranma and Kasumi stayed in the kitchen. Ranma finished off the few leftovers while Kasumi talked to Brittany about shopping and where the nearest shops were. Her shopping trips would never be the same ever again.

Nabiki spent a few minutes figuring out the channels on the family TV then leaned back, watching the financial news and taking some notes.

After a little bit, Ranma went in to take a shower. Nabiki took this opportunity to talk to her sister and the two single Digger sisters. She took Kasumi and the two of them went to find their hosts in the lab. Once there she asked, "At the dinner table, did you notice how Ranma reacted to your flirting?"

Gina and Brianna both nodded. Brianna was especially sad, as she had thought Ranma liked her. "He didn't seem to like it at all. He seemed almost scared of us when we were flirting with him."

Nabiki nodded, sharing a telling glance with her sister, who shook her head sadly. "It really has nothing to do with either of you, or even his feelings. You see, we didn't tell you everything about our time in Nerima, simply because a lot of it is too painful or too complicated. Ranma has sort of been programmed to expect a large amount of pain whenever he is the object of any woman's affections. Most of the time the person showing him affection was doing so to get something from him, to score points over her rivals or to control him. Whenever anyone showed the slightest interest in him, or was at all forward with him, he would be blamed, called a pervert and malleted hard enough to send him into the stratosphere! Worse would happen if he showed interest in someone else!"

Kasumi looked at her younger sister, a small frown on her face and Nabiki clamped her mouth shut. She hadn't meant to say that so forcefully, but she had kept her thoughts to herself on Akane's violence for too long.

Gina and Brianna looked at each other. Obviously, there was still more to be said here, but they wouldn't push. "Is there any way to break him out of it?"

Nabiki grinned wickedly, breaking out of her anger. "I actually came up with one already. It's a version of shock therapy. We flirt with him as often as possible in private and in front of each other. We make it clear to him that none of us will ever attack him, or hold it against him when someone flirts with him. Heck, given the fact that he now has working hormones, he may start flirting back if we make it clear to him we want it and aren't a threat."

Brianna, Gina and Kasumi all grinned at this evilly. In the shower, Ranma felt a shiver down his spine.

end chapter 4


	5. Chapter 4 Boys and Girls and Robots

And let me just say to anyone who has been reading my stories thank you for persevering through without the scene breaks. Thank you all.

I do not own Ranma or Gold Digger. Double update today because the last chapter was short, and much like the chapter in_ Warrior's way_, I only recently broke them up. I will be going back and looking at the format and look of my stories later tonight, but as i said that will be it until Wednesday.

**Chapter 4 Boys and Girls and Robots**

That night, everyone went to their own rooms with a feeling of happiness in regards to their new housemates. Kasumi looked tired and had probably fallen asleep almost immediately. Ranma supposed the other teleportees had done the same thing. On the other hand Gina was still up working in her lab (after failing to entice Ranma to join her).

Stripe and Cheetah had gone to bed together even earlier. _To think they're engaged and actually want to be together, I didn't think that was possible. _ Ranma thought sardonically._ Or without crazy ass parents pushing you one way or the other, and crazy ass rivals popping up._ How little he knew…

Ranma wasn't tired per se, exhausted yes but not sleepy. Instead, he sat on his bed in the room that he had been given in the lotus position, meditating on several things.

Ranma, despite what Akane and his father thought, was not stupid. He was merely extremely focused, specifically on the martial arts and his own combat skills. Accordingly, most of what he was thinking about had to do with how he would go forward in the Art without his father's constant interference.

Ranma analyzed his ki energy as much as he could, realizing that he could feel the flame ki he had been imbued with upon his execution of Saffron fading. He estimated that by this time tomorrow it would be gone. _So do I go back to the Soul of Ice?_

A moments thought, _No, that technique is mostly to control my own emotions and to be used against opponents who use fire techniques. It's a little too limited. I'll use it when I have to, but I want to find something else to replace it fulltime. The Soul of Fire actually made me faster and stronger when I used it, though I think my body as it is now is just as fast and strong._

Ranma again felt out his ki pathways and body. _Definitely. My energy is way more evenly spaced than before, and it's renewing itself at a faster rate. My body feels lighter, stronger than ever before._

Kasumi had mentioned before that maybe this was the way his body would have turned out without the malnutrition and constantly broken and badly healed bones that were the legacies of his training trip with the panda fool. Until proven otherwise, Ranma was prepared to accept that as the truth.

_So, now that no one else is here to bother with me, what are my training priorities? Have to think like a master, even if I am still learning and Mrs. Diggers has said she may take me on as a student. Still, speed._ Speed was the tenant of the Saotome School of anything goes aerial form, and at the heart of his own developing style. _ Speed is okay now, as are reflexes, but there's __**always**__ room to improve. Have to work out in all three of my shapes now too, figure out if my were-form has a female side to it. Strength could be upped as well, but not as much as speed. My personal style emphasizes speed and adaptation more than strength anyway. I want ta be as fast normally as I am with the Amiguriken. So that's goal one, though that will take a long time and a lot of work, way more work than I could get done back in Nerima without interruptions._

_Endurance ain't a real issue, my ability to take punishment though… _Ranma thought about his fight with Brittany. _If she had connected at all, it would've hurt like one of Ryoga's hits with that much speed. I need ta be able to take those kinds of punches and keep on trucking. Need to think of a way to train for that. Something better or at a higher level than the Bakusei Tenketsu training._

_Next would be ki-redirection and attacks. I want ta figure out something better than my Fierce Lion Roar. I've had ideas in the past, but again I needed someplace to practice. Other emotions, pure ki, using ambient chi, something has to be done there to add power or speed._

_Next, the cat-fist moves. If I ain't affected by the madness, can I now use some of its attacks, and if so only in my were-form or every body type?_

He meditated on these issues for a few minutes before changing mental gears to his other problem: girls and his own hormones.

_Okay, so the first thing is; knowing this hormones thing, would I go back to any of the girls back home? Shampoo? Still sees me as a prize and beneath her, no go. No way would the amazons allow me to keep training, and I'm already well above the level they're comfortable with a male being. Kodachi, still insane. Ukyo…. Maybe if I had seen her as a girl, rather than my best friend when we were kids. Nah, our dreams are too different._

Again it must be said that Ranma was never stupid, merely focused too narrowly for his own good. Now that he had time and distance enough to deal with a problem, he brought that focus into action on it as easily as if it was a hard to learn kata.

_Akane? There may've been somethin' there if her anger wasn't so huge a part of her. I swear sometimes she actually looked as if she enjoyed getting angry and beating the shit out of me._

_Okay, so what about now?_

He thought of Nabiki, Kasumi and Brianna and her sister. He felt attracted to all of them in varying degrees. _Nabiki's always been smoking hot, and Kasumi way beautiful. _ They also knew him in a more personal way than any of the fiancées, besides Ukyo in their youth, had ever known him, being friends first and love interests second. _ I just like being around them, just enjoying their company._ _Brianna, despite being a little older lookin' than Kasumi, has a body that puts all of my so-called fiancées back home to shame. _Ranma also clicked with her in a way that he hadn't with anyone but Kasumi. He had noticed Gina and Brianna flirting with him, but did not know how to handle their attention, and had to fight himself to keep from running away thanks to his 'training' back in Nerima. Gina frankly scared him reminding him just a little too much of Shampoo in her flirting tactics.

But what he should do about his own attraction to them still eluded him. _It's just like back home, only now I know what all the fuss is about. I don't want to hurt any of them, and so can't pick one over the others. What'll I do?_

It was at that point that his door opened.

* * *

Nabiki **glided** into his room that was the only word for it. She wore a pair of panties (Ranma hoped) covered by a long, slinky blue negligee he had never seen before that clung to her curves. Her long bare legs caught Ranma's attention immediately as he came out of his trance to stare at her.

His eyes remained locked on them until she stood in front of him. He followed them up to the negligee that she was wearing, his breath catching in his throat as he looked at her face. Something he didn't have a word for shot through him, burning in his veins.

Nabiki barely kept from moaning aloud as Ranma looked at her with a mix of fear and raw desire, the latter emotion something she had never seen back in Nerima. _I am going to hire the most brutal, efficient assassin I can to hunt Genma down and force-feed him Akane's cooking for the rest of his life! Even making money never made me feel like this._ "Ranma" she said huskily.

Ranma gulped, nervous yet **intensely** aroused for the very first time in his life (the neko-ken does **not** count). He nodded, fighting down his urge to run at the mere sight of a willing female.

Nabiki smiled brightly and then sat on his lap. Ranma flinched, not from her weight but from the closeness, and Nabiki saw his fear in his eyes, overpowering everything else for a few seconds before he regained control of himself. _My little sister has a lot to answer for as well_ she thought grimly.

Before Ranma could say anything, she spoke again. "Ranma, I want to tell you something Kasumi, Brianna and I realized." Ranma licked his lips, his own blue eyes locked with her deep brown ones.

"Kasumi and I realized we both love you." She said it simply, watching as those sapphire gems widened in shock. "And we're not going to fight about it, or abuse you. We have in fact decided to share you. We both want to be as large or as small a part of your life as you want. Brianna wants to try the same thing, and Gina may as well."

Nabiki ran a hand along his hard chest, shivering at the feel of his muscles under her fingers. "So what do you think?"

Ranma's mind was in shock. Here was a woman saying that three other women had all decided they loved him, or at least had the hots for him, but they weren't going to fight about it? And they weren't going to hit him or blame him for it? _Does not compute!_

Ranma's mind was almost overcome by fear, his survivor's impulse from the last two years telling him that any kind of affection toward him would be followed immediately by pain. Yet Nabiki had said they agreed to share him? So he wouldn't have to hurt anyone by choosing, nor would he be attacked for being nice or even… flirting with one of them?

Ranma's mind seriously thought he might have entered the twilight zone, but if so, he was very happy about it. Ranma had long known that the two older Tendo sisters had taken very special places in his heart, and his gut reaction to Brianna could not be denied.

Ranma's instincts however were telling him something else entirely. They had been under attack all day by his new level of hormones, and now they rose up. Here he was, shirtless with a half-naked willing woman sitting in his lap. Ancient instincts that had been denied him for too long rose up.

He reached up a gentle hand, caressing Nabiki's face for a moment, watching as her eyes closed halfway in pleasure as she licked her lips, his own eyes following the movement avidly. His hand went to the back of her head and the two leaned forward.

It was a very awkward kiss, neither participant having kissed anyone before. Nabiki had a lot of book learning and 'self-knowledge' (finger fun, no toys or boys, not with a little sister like Akane who could break any lock and a mad on for all things 'perverted') while Ranma had hearsay and gossip he had ignored as unimportant. Both however were very fast learners. Soon their eyes closed as their arms went around each other, clutching each other closer almost desperately.

A minute later, Nabiki upped the ante, opening her mouth and letting her tongue along Ranma's lips, asking for entry. He hesitantly obliged, and her tongue shot inside to fight his own. Ranma pushed back, trying to find her tonsils with his own tongue, pushing his body up against her own. She moaned as she felt something long and hard impact against her barely covered mound. Ranma's hands inched down her back as their kiss became less intense but more heartfelt. Nabiki broke off the kiss to rain little kisses down the side of Ranma's neck, listening to his deep purring as she moaned in turn, his hands gently kneading her ass.

Ranma's mind was utterly blank, overcome with new stimuli as his hormones urged him on. He continued to kneed Nabiki's rear with one hand and nipped at her neck, flicking his tongue out while his other hand slowly began to make it's way to her front.

Nabiki leaned back, unconsciously rubbing against his crotch, which caused them both to moan again in pleasure. Her voice came out huskily, as she touched her lips with a finger, feeling their soreness from the strength of the kiss while gently redirecting his wandering hand with the other. "So, I guess you're fine with it?"

Ranma flushed as she ran her hands up and down his chest. He stuttered, trying to wrest control of his faculties back from his hormones. "I, I guess, I, you know love you, you and Kasumi, it's not like I, I, mean planned it or nothin'. And I feel this kind of connection with Brianna, even if we just met and I mean, we did kinda almost er, I mean. Gina kinda scares me though you-know. So I mean I don't wanna go all the way or nothin' and I don't"

Nabiki smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips to shut him up. She knew what he had meant to say and the fact he had said he loved her and didn't try to get out of it like he had with Akane meant the world to her. _But if I don't get out of here right now we are both going to go farther than we are ready for. I need to find some condoms or get a patch or something before that happens. I'm not ready to be a mother yet._ "I know what you mean Ranma. I love you too."

She stood up, fighting her body all the way as she stepped back from Ranma. "I'll see you tomorrow Ranma."

Ranma's eyes locked on her rear as she turned away, his mind still in a daze as she walked out of his room. He actually had to forcibly stop his hands from reaching out and dragging her back. He smiled slowly, touching his own lips and remembering the taste and feel of Nabiki's lips on his own. He smiled slowly. _If this is the twilight zone, I never want to leave._

He looked down at himself and suddenly frowned. "How the hell am I supposed to make that go down anyway?" Not only did Ranma not have the hormonal balance necessary to have a sex drive before his rebirth, he didn't have any of the terminology or knowledge…

* * *

The next day Kasumi got up at her usual hour before the sunrise, despite being in a radically new time zone. She yawned, fighting back a desire to fall asleep again. _I want to acclimatize to this time zone as soon as possible, and besides, this will be the first sunrise I have ever seen outside of Japan._

With that rather exciting thought in mind, she dressed for the day and made her way into the kitchen. Already she had made up a list of things to do today. These included getting to know the house, getting to know the neighborhood, and figuring out where she could go to shop for food as well as tasks like cleaning and washing clothes. She had noticed last night that there seemed to be a backlog of clothing piling up from the three Digger sisters. _At least in that I will be useful. And, if last night is any indication, I will be much more appreciated for my efforts here than I ever was as home. _ The thought nearly brought a scowl to her face. Soun, the Great-evil and Akane always took her work around the house for granted, and in the case of Akane and Soun had done so for years.

Kasumi went outside as the sun came up, looking around in wonder as the sun's rays illuminated her new home. She breathed deeply, taking it all in and smiled, a wide happy smile, far different from the serene one that she always wore at home. This was a smile of pure joy, one that only Ranma had ever seen before on her face since her mother died, when he got her flowers while he was escorting her in the Juuban market (can't be too careful in Juuban, though the one demon that transformed from a light post while they were there took one look at Ranma and ran away screaming. Kasumi had felt rather sorry for scaring the poor thing).

She moved into the kitchen, and began to make breakfast. Last night she had been a little confused with the number of appliances and the food on hand, but she was determined to rise to the challenge.

After about fifteen minutes of looking through the food in the kitchen, Kasumi mentally prepared her menu and set to work chopping vegetables. After another ten minutes, she heard movement behind her.

Her control of the wa was so absolute back home, normally she would have been able to tell who it was long before they entered the room. _I will just have to wait a bit before this house comes to love me as much as the one back home._ Kasumi didn't mind. She already felt at home here, it would simply take the house a little time to realize the same thing.

She turned to see who had walked in and blinked in surprise at seeing Ranma. "Ranma? Is something wrong, you're never usually up this early. Did you sleep well?"

Ranma nodded coming into the kitchen and moving over to the stove to see what she was cooking. His eye lit up in appreciation and she smiled warmly at him. Of all her family only Nabiki and Ranma had ever gone out of their way to compliment her on her food or anything else. Ranma always complimented her food and helped her around the house, and they both thanked her for her work around the house. It made her feel needed and loved, not merely depended upon like some kind of servant.

* * *

Ranma looked at her uncertain what to say, but inside he was simply enjoying being around her. "I slept fine Kasumi. I'm actually a morning person, it's just that the old man liked to wake me up with his dawn attacks and that made my mornings h-bad." He quickly changed what he was going to say. One simply did not curse in front of Kasumi. "And on the training trip he'd always attack me when I was asleep to build my danger sense, and at the dojo someone stopped by tryin' to kill me most nights so I didn't get a lot of sleep." Kasumi frowned at that and Ranma went on hurriedly. "'Sides, I got a lot of training I want to get in. I need to figure out how to change to my werecat form and practice with it a bit. Before that though I was thinkin' I could help you with breakfast."

Kasumi's answering smile lit up the room. The two set to work, chopping, steaming, defrosting and generally creating breakfast, talking about the food in the house. They both were a little shocked at the amount of readymade frozen dishes on hand, and Kasumi vowed to replace them with fresh food as soon as possible. Ranma was willing to try something like the okonomiyaki he had seen in the refrigerator, but he too preferred fresh food. The amount of canned tuna surprised them both, but Kasumi put that down to being a cat thing.

After everything was prepared and the fish fillets in the oven, Ranma stood behind Kasumi looking over her shoulder at the oven timer. "There are so many more appliances here it's going to take getting used to."

Nerima had always been as low tech as possible. Since so many battles happened there that resulted in massive property damage, no one wanted to spend money on expensive items. This included all sorts of appliances, cell phones, and computers. If it wasn't durable enough to be thrown around or at all expensive to replace, there was no place for it in Nerima. Even Nabiki, one of the wards most feared individuals (thought for different reasons than the martial artists) was forced to follow that rule. Ranma had been surprised when he learned that this policy was in place long before he arrived. His presence and the circus he brought with him merely took everything to a higher and much more focused level.

Kasumi nodded, brushing her hair back behind her ear and inadvertently causing a whiff of her hair to gust into Ranma's face. _She smells of vanilla and sunflowers._

Ranma flushed in pleasure, his body slowly filling with the same burning fire he had felt last night with Nabiki. Remembering last night's 'talk', he spoke up, showing more intelligence and thought than he ever had back in Nerima, despite his lack of coherent speech. "Um, Kasumi, last night I um Nabiki um, said um"

"Ranma," Kasumi murmured, leaning back against his hard chest, blushing slightly, and trying hard to control her own hormones. Ranma stiffened but was able to fight down his flight instinct again. _This is Kasumi for goodness sake!_ The one person in his life who never hurt him used him or treated him like a thing. Even Nabiki had at times, though her reasons were better than anyone else's, in his opinion.

Kasumi reached back, taking his hands and placing them around her stomach. She left them there, and he hugged her tenderly, kneading her stomach gently, sending warmth flowing through her. "I have always thought that relationships are created to benefit the people involved emotionally, as well as mentally and physically."

She blushed brighter, keeping her voice down to a whisper, looking down shyly. "I love you, and I know Nabiki does too. As for your curse or your new from, my sister and I do not have a problem with it. Brianna seems okay with it was well. If we are all okay with it and with sharing, then why should a relationship be between only two people? If we all benefit equally I don't see a problem."

Her light giggle sounded out in the kitchen, sounding like the tinkle of small bells to Ranma's ears, who had rarely heard it before. "It isn't normal, but then what about your life has been?"

Ranma grinned behind her, hugging her tighter and chuckling gently. New emotions and feelings that he had never had before, never been allowed to have before were growing within him, feeling first Nabiki's acceptance and love, then Kasumi's. He nuzzled his head into Kasumi's hair loving the fact that now he was a little taller than her, breathing in her scent.

Ranma could feel Kasumi shiver as she turned, kissing him under the chin. She left little kisses along his neck, collarbone, jaw and, as she turned her body in his arms, lips finally meeting.

The two stood there locked together for a moment. The kiss was more chaste than the one he had shared with Nabiki, as neither participant tried to deepen it, merely pouring their emotions into it for a time.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Ranma's ki reached out invisibly, interacting with Kasumi's own in the same way that it had with Nabiki's the day before at Furinkan. A moment later, a small red tattoo in the shape of a claw formed on Kasumi's stomach.

Ranma's control began to fray, and he pulled Kasumi to him tighter, opening his mouth to let his tongue have access to her own. Kasumi responded, moaning, as she felt her nipples harden and her crotch begin to moisten.

They pulled away reluctantly as the sound of someone coming down the stairs reached their ears. Kasumi blushed rosily and Ranma smiled as they looked into each other's eyes, reaffirming their new bond.

Ranma touched Kasumi's jaw gently before walking outside with a wave. Brittany came in dressed for her morning run and was surprised to find a visibly glowing Kasumi moving about the kitchen, cleaning and inspecting. Not being very talkative first thing in the morning Brit simply nodded before moving past her new housemate. Once she was gone, Kasumi paused in her routine, touching her lips softly, giggling in pure happiness. Around the house, those who were still sleeping reacted to the happiness now permeating the wa and smiled in their sleep.

* * *

Ranma nodded hello from where he stood about to begin his morning kata as Brit walked by. He studiously looked the other way as she began her morning workouts, her hybrid form filling out her skimpy exercise clothing far more than he was comfortable with.

Breathing deeply he began his kata, a basic one that was at the core of the Anything Goes school. It helped to center your mind, loosen up your body and make your movements more intuitive and fluid. A part of him thought it said something that Akane had never mastered it, preferring to ignore the more subtle katas in favor of those with immediate results focused on strength.

He began to move through the kata, slowly at first, then faster. He ran through the same kata fifteen times, speeding up each time. Halfway through he realized he had changed into his new hybrid form, but ignored it, finding his balance and speed automatically and incorporating them into his moves without pause. His mind was in that strange place it went to when he practiced or in a fight, taking in everything but not really reacting or thinking, simply flowing from one move to another.

He moved onto harder katas designed to enhance and practice speed. It wasn't long before his movements were a mere blur as he danced in place, leaping, dodging, throwing punches at a speed no normal human could ever match.

Brit had paused in her own warm-ups to watch him, awed at the level of skill and concentration she saw from this young man, still shocked at his age. She shook it off quickly though, and left on her run.

Behind her Ranma finished his warm-up and moved onto even more difficult exercises, pushing his body as fast as he could, concentrating his ki into every punch and kick. Again halfway through, he dropped out of his hybrid form again not even realizing it and simply continued pushing himself harder and harder.

His body began to glow with ki, a bright clear light rather than the blue of his aura from before yesterday. He kept pushing himself, going through, adding and augmenting and mixing katas together in ways that would have made any normal martial arts master weep in appreciation for the perfection and skill shown.

He was still at it when Cheetah came back two hours later at around nine o'clock local time.

She stopped again blinking in surprise. She had seen her mother working out like this when she was younger, but even then, she had never seen the skill Ranma possessed. _He may not be as fast as I am or as good as mom is now, but he is really skilled, way more skilled than I thought any normal human could be._ The fact that her mother, despite her own training was still human did not occur to her.

He finished an airborne kata and came to earth, resting lightly on his toes for a moment before coming to a stop facing the sun and bowing slightly. Brit walked up to him and slapped him on the shoulder. "Ready for breakfast?"

Ranma nodded, wiping away the sheen of perspiration he had developed. "yep, that was a good warm up. I have a lot more work I want to do, but no way do I want to miss one of Kasumi's meals."

After dinner last night, Brit had no trouble understanding that.

The two went in and Brit suddenly stopped, sniffing the air in surprise. Her face lit up as she moved into the dining room, following her nose. Ranma broke off in the kitchen, moving to the coffee maker Kasumi had shown him earlier.

Brittany looked down at the meal on the table and grinned. "Whole tuna for breakfast?"

Kasumi looked up with a smile from placing a basket of French toast on the table. "Yes. Fish of any type are a main staple in the Japanese diet. I'm afraid I haven't had much opportunity before to cook American style, so many of the ingredients you have here are strange to me. If you don't like it I can always"

Brit cut her off hurriedly. "No, no this is fine, more than fine, tuna's Brianna's and my favorite food. Gina likes it too."

Kasumi smiled in pleasure, but her smile faded slightly as Brit sat down and immediately took one of the whole tuna fillets she had prepared. "I'm sure we can wait for everyone to join us before we start."

Brit stopped her assault on the fish and sat back, feeling like a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar. _She's my age, how in hell does she make me feel like a child?_ Cheetah was soon distracted from her irritation by Kasumi mentioning a few other recipes she was going to try with tuna. By the time everyone else arrived, Kasumi had a willing devotee in the wereheetah.

* * *

Nabiki, like Gina and Brianna was not a morning person. She had decided to sleep in, but the smell of Kasumi's cooking worked its magic, pulling her from slumber.

Outside her new room she met up with Brianna and Gina, joining the zombie parade.

The parade ended when Ranma intercepted them in the kitchen with already made cups of coffee. "Sorry Bri-chan, Gina-san, I don't know how you like your coffee, so it's just plain coffee. Here Nabiki, extra dark but with four scoops of sugar."

The girls grabbed their cups gleefully, taking in Ranma's exercise togs and his smile, which made all three swoon a little.

Nabiki in particular was thankful for the coffee, having to deal with a lack of sleep and changing from one time zone to another. His knowledge of her foibles made her grin appreciatively, and she decided to reward him slightly. Nudging Brianna she yawned stretching her arms above her head and thrusting her chest out before taking the proffered cup. Brianna and Gina smirked and did the same before thanking Ranma for the coffee.

Nabiki was positive that Ranma would blush and turn away. He did blush, but after a single flinch and a moments fear, he took a deep breath, let it out and looked at each of them. Nabiki still saw a little fear there, but also a lot of honest appreciation and desire, making all three of the latecomers grin.

Nabiki smiled as Ranma got behind her where she was seating, giving her a small morning massage to loosen up her sore neck, something he had started to do whenever Akane wasn't around, in payment for her tutoring sessions. Nabiki literally began to purr like a cat as his kneading became caressing. No one noticed her claw tattoo glowing slightly. _His newfound hormones are making changing his reactions a lot easier than I thought it would be. Not that I'm complaining, I just hope the rest of us are ready for it. Seven plus years of hormones without any previous idea of what they are and no experience in controlling them plus his martial artist's stamina… _

Brianna grinned. "Oooh Ranma me too please, pretty please?"

Ranma blushed, "Maybe some other time." Behind her, Genn came into the room, yawning and carrying a newspaper.

Brianna smiled, "I'll hold you to that."

With everyone there, Kasumi sat down, nodded and the feeding frenzy began. The newcomers were surprised by how much Brianna and Cheetah put away, almost as much as Ranma.

Brianna was in heaven. "Kasumi this is amazing, how did you get frozen tuna to taste this good?"

Kasumi smiled as everyone else praised her cooking. Having more people than just Nabiki and Ranma praise her made her feel better than she had in years. "That is a secret, but I would like to ask if one of you would be willing to go shopping with me this afternoon. Both Nabiki and I need some clothing, and I would like to see what the local produce markets are like."

Gina immediately volunteered, while Brianna shook her head and Cheetah scowled. "Darn it, I promised Stripe I would talk to Carla over in El-Dorado about some ceremonies she wants me to attend. Damn, I hate missing out on shopping."

Brianna chimed in "Sorry Kasumi, today's my weapons maintenance day."

Kasumi looked at Nabiki. "Do you want to come out with us?"

Nabiki shook her head. "I'd like to get to know the house and neighborhood a bit. You two go on without me, have fun. You deserve it Kasumi, after all the time you spent looking after all of us back in Nerima." Kasumi blushed, but the others all chimed in agreeing with her sister, with Ranma being the most vocal.

The meal ended amicably, and again the Digger's sisters left with more evidence that Kasumi was a cooking goddess.

* * *

Nabiki spent the rest of the morning walking around the house, getting used to her new home. She had been given the tour but most of it had been a blur. Today she went around the house at her own pace, taking a mental tally of the amount of money shown here.

The amount astonished her. _Even if Gina and Brianna make most of these gadgets and appliances, the raw materials alone would cost a bundle. Does adventuring really pay that well?_

She found Brianna in a large room underground, going through an incredible assortment of exotic and high tech weapons. Nabiki really wasn't interested; she may come from a martial artist family, but her own interest was far more cerebral than martial. "Hey Brianna, I have a question."

Brianna looked up from disassembling her proton cannon array for cleaning. "Hey, Nabiki, shoot."

Nabiki smirked. "With what?" Brianna blinked then laughed realizing her inadvertent joke. "I'm curious how you all pay for all of these gadgets. I mean I looked at Brit and your wardrobes and that alone would come to 12 million U.S. or so, and that's without Brittany's shoes and purses. The house the property everything below the house, does adventuring really pay that well?"

Brianna sighed sorrowfully. She had learned over dinner last night that Nabiki had been the one to keep her family afloat, though she did not know how she did it. It stood to reason she would be interested in monetary matters. The expertise the younger girl showed however did surprise her. "The adventuring usually grabs us some gold or historical artifacts we sell to museums. Most trips we score around 10 million or so, which helps defray costs but doesn't cover everything. Gina sets aside a little bit from each expedition to buy stocks which pays a lump sum every month. She also occasionally sells off some inventions to different companies, though nothing major. Basically we skid by on credit, and are always in danger of falling into the red. Thankfully, our father's rich, and is always good for a short-term loan."

Nabiki nodded thoughtfully, though inside she was practically screaming at the lack of fiscal responsibility shown. "So who manages her stock portfolio?"

Brianna shrugged. "No one really, she does it herself when she remembers. Seeing the younger woman's frown she added. "If you want to know more you can ask her yourself. I can access it for you but it won't be total access, 'cause legally I'm still a minor." At Nabiki's odd look she sighed "technically I was only created a little over two years ago."

Nabiki looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean created?"

Brianna looked at her, trying to make a decision before nodding decisively. "You tell me everything about Ranma's time in Nerima, and I mean everything, including this business between him and your younger sister, and I'll tell you about my creation, deal?"

Nabiki thought for a moment. Her old self wouldn't have hesitated, but her new self, the one who had come to love Ranma knew there were things he would not want his new friends to know. "I won't tell you about Ranma and Akane, not until I get his permission. But I'll tell you everything else that I witnessed personally now, and ask him permission for that later."

Brianna nodded. That was probably the best deal she was going to get. Nabiki pulled out a seat. "You may want to get comfortable this is going to be taking a while. I suppose I should start with his normal rivals. First to arrive and most persistent was Ryoga…"

* * *

Kasumi and Gina spent the morning walking around the property, getting to know one another. Being a scientist, Gina was filled with curiosity about the new hunk and his two friends who had moved in with them, only fueled further by last night's conversation. Kasumi told her as much as she thought polite, the techniques Ranma had learned and some of the battles he had fought, but nothing about the abuse from her sister or his fiancées. She did mention the other Jusenkyo curses that she had seen.

These fascinated Gina, and she kept on questioning Kasumi about them and Jusenkyo and the ki attacks she had witnessed, having only seen a few such attacks in her adventures. That nearly every martial artist in Nerima had at least one was very surprising, and a little scary. _Why the hell are all these super powered people gathered in one place like that? From the sound of it any of them could be professional adventurers._ When she asked about this, Kasumi shrugged. Having lived in Nerima all her life she had no idea how abnormal the level of skill there was.

In the afternoon, Gina took Kasumi shopping and was very surprised that it was only her second time in a car. Kasumi was surprised in turn when rather than coming to an open-air market or a small grocery store they shopped at a large supermarket. At Kasumi's request they drove around the area some more, and Kasumi pointed out several smaller grocery stores. She went in and bought nearly as much fresh food as Gina and her sisters would buy in a month.

Gina looked at her askance. "You know, most of the food we eat here is canned or pre-made. We find it easier that way."

Kasumi smiled gently. "Perhaps you do, but I'm a cook, and I work with fresh food." Somehow the smile made Gina give up entirely.

Kasumi did buy cleaning supplies and spices in bulk at the supermarket, a few aprons and several pairs of clothing in her size and Nabiki's. These were mostly simple dresses, and jeans, in a style that she knew Nabiki liked. If her sister wanted anything else, she would have to buy it herself. She also bought a new apron for herself. Kasumi surprised herself momentarily with a naughty say dream of Ranma coming up behind her as she cooked clad only in an apron, laying her on the table as he gently made love to her. Gina saw the faraway look in Kasumi's eyes, and the fiery blush on her face and snickered knowingly.

When they got back, Gina and Kasumi sat down with a cup of tea, talking about the difference between living in America and living in Japan while Kasumi looked through several cookbooks that Dr. Diggers and his wife had on hand. Nabiki and Brianna joined them, Brianna looking very angry and irritated about something.

Nabiki asked Gina about their money matters, and they were going off to look it over on Gina's personal computer when a series of loud bangs outside distracted them.

* * *

Ranma spent his day testing out 'I wonder ifs' in the woods near the Diggers household, which Brittany had set up a while ago as a small training ground.

"I wonder if I can set something up to toughen me up like when Ryoga learned the bakutasi Tenketsu?"

**Crash Bam! Crunch! "**hmm, okay so I need rocks for that, tree trunks just aren't going to cut it. Maybe go back to the wrecking ball if all else fails…"

"I wonder if I can channel my ki through just my fingers like Dr. Tofu used to?" That worked, but he couldn't channel enough energy through them to make much of a difference. "I wonder if I can use them in conjunction with pressure points? Have to wait to try that though."

"I wonder if I can use my neko-ken ki claws in human form."

The answer to this was a resounding yes. He wouldn't use them against opponents except in a life or death match, but they were easily his strongest technique.

"I wonder if I can somehow use my ki to make myself float, like Saffron did."

He had wanted to try this for a few months, but could never get the time to himself to try it without making people think he was crazy. This was almost as bruising and futile as the toughness training, and just as pointless. After two hours Ranma was forced to quit, there just was no way he could dissipate his body's weight enough in mid air to float.

"I wonder if I can come up with a new ki attack to replace the Moko takabashi?"

He was able to find other attacks after an hour of trial and error, but most of them were emotion based, making them no better than the Proud Lion Roar. Clearly this area would need more work.

"I wonder if I can rapid-fire ki attacks."

This he was able to do. Shrinking the sphere of his attacks to barely palm sized he was able to fire off four of these smaller attacks for the same amount of energy. "Okay, that's a good start but a want to up the number a lot. That'll work for a daily goal. But I also need to figure out a non emotion based attack. Training, training."

By this time it was a little before two and he decided to do one more ki technique for the day, his other goals would take a lot more thought.

"I wonder if I can use the soul of fire in just one hand and the soul of ice in the other. I wonder if I can use just the coldness not the emotional control. Cologne said you had to have the one to use the other, but feh, what did the old bitch really know? And the soul of fire is only about heating your own ki, I should be able ta do that in only one body part even without the phoenix flame added to my aura…"

This experiment took him a little under four more hours, but eventually he was able to do it. It exhausted him and he determined to build up his ki reserves somehow.

"I wonder if I moved the hot ki hand in a clockwise motion and then put the cold ki fist in what would happen?"

What happened was a horizontal tornado the size of the Hiryu shoten Ha. It ripped dozens of trees out of the ground, shattered a few rocks and tore up the ground for two miles in front of him. It also threw him back hard enough to create a furrow in the ground. "Wow, okay that was really cool. I have to work on that."

At this point seven strange beings landed in front of him. They were colored metal gray with purple or green highlights on their armor plating. They had visor eyes set into hard metal angular faces, small mouths and slightly puffed up shoulders and kneecaps.

All of them took up positions around him as one spoke. "Warning, you are on Diggers property and have caused damage to the property conducive to an attack on the owner. You are not among the list of users and are thereby warned to vacate the premises. You have ten seconds to comply."

The other robots audibly muttered, "Start a fight, pleeeze start a fight."

Ranma blinked as he stood up. He had watched a few science fiction movies in his time, and knew what these things were. _Robots, now I've seen everything. _He smiled slowly. _Their punches may not be rocks, but they may be the next best thing._

For whatever reason, since his rebirth, Ranma's natural insouciance and ego had actually increased. What he did not know was that the neko-ken had merged with his personality, changing it to a certain extent and magnifying his desire for conflict. He was the alpha male, and he had just been challenged.

He assumed a stance taken from the crane school as he smirked at the androids. "Make me, ya tin cans."

The robots shot forward en masse, throwing punches and kicks as Ranma raced to meet them.

Ranma was faster and more experienced than the hurtbots, and he used that to his advantage tangling them up in one another and taking to the air.

Three of the hurtbots used rocket packs to dart straight at him with tremendous speed, but he dodged them. Two of them crashed into one another, cart-wheeling into the ground as he used the chest of the other to dive back into the robots that had not taken to the air. He landed a series of Amigurken speed kicks to one denting its armor in a dozen places and sending it backwards onto its rear. Ranma took a shot to the face from one of the other robots in turn, and he grimaced as he rolled with it, sending a point blank Lion's Roar back in return. The robot tumbled to the ground, chest smoking as Ranma took to the trees to clear his head.

_Okay that hit was a little less than Ryoga can land, but a little faster than him. They're a good mix of speed and strength. _Ranma wiped the blood from his mouth and dodged to another tree as the remaining six hurt-bots came after him. _This is going to be fun._

* * *

Gina and the others ran towards the forest to see what was going on. Brianna was in a suit of recently finished power armor, and Gina carried a powerful handgun from her collection. Nabiki and Kasumi followed more slowly, unarmed as they were.

What the four young women found was Ranma and five remaining hurt-bots duking it out in the ruins that had been Brittany's training area.

Gina blinked in astonishment. Two of her hurtbots were down, one of them with its chest blown apart from some kind of energy impact, the other missing an arm and half of its head, the shattered remains still sparking with electricity as she watched. "Cease all combat functions!" She yelled.

The five remaining robots jumped back from Ranma who fell to his knees, gasping in air. Brianna and the others ran forward. Ranma was black and blue from stomach to neck, had a great shiner, a bruised jaw, and was favoring his left side. "Are you okay Ranma?"

Ranma nodded, grinning despite his injuries. "I'm great. That was a lot of fun, more fun than fighting any of my old rivals."

Gina stood in front of her hurt-bots. "Explain why you have attacked a guest." She said brusquely.

As 02, the lowest numbered (i.e. senior) of the androids answered, Gina took in the damage on the robots still active. Most of them were heavily dented and scorched, two were missing arms, they all had cracked armor and one of them was missing both of its optical sensors. _This is amazing, Ranma was able to do this much damage in hand to hand combat with my hurtbots?_

"Units 02 -09 were connected to the residence defense system when the defense system registered a series of unknown readings and explosions coming from the training grounds designated for user 2: Brittany Diggers. Due to directive 233, we waited the requisite four hours. The readings flared up 65% larger during the allotted four hours. Following directive 31, we moved out to find/neutralize/evict unknown persons attempting damage to Diggers property. When we arrived at the coordinates, we engaged in combat with the male human standing next to user 3 Brianna Diggers."

Gina sighed and turned to Ranma. "Ranma, I'm sorry. I forgot to place you three on the security list. My hurtbots were simply following standard protocol." She looked around askance at the amount of destruction her robots and Ranma had done. _Its going to take days to repair this. What will the neighbors think?_

Ranma grinned through bruised lips, standing up awkwardly and leaning on Brianna for support. "No problem, I enjoyed myself." He frowned at Gina. "Though, if you use these guys in group combat a lot, you need to program them to work together. They got in each other's way a lot of the time."

Brianna giggled next to him, wishing she wasn't wearing her powersuit so she could really enjoy him holding onto her. "That's an old program bug in the design Ranma. Brit and I keep on telling her to get it fixed but she never listens. Would you believe enemies have actually talked her androids into attacking each other three times in the past two years?"

"That's enough outta you miss pyro" snapped Gina. She turned to her remaining hurtbots. "Return to level five labs and submit yourselves to the repair room." The robots acknowledged the order and left.

Ranma called after them, "great fight guys, let's do it again sometime." Gina and the others all looked at him like he was crazy, but Ranma didn't notice. _A single fight like that is worth a week of regular training! I found out a lot about my new ki levels, and a bit about my wercat bodies abilities. It's been a good day._

The group began to walk to the house, Ranma explaining what he had been doing before the fight to an enthralled audience. Behind him, Gina followed a small grin on her face. _Nice view. Still, you think my hurtbots are fun to fight huh? We'll just see about that._

* * *

Ranma took a shower, wincing as the water hit some of her bruises, the cold water causing her change. Gina had asked to see Ranma's female from and Ranma, feeling guilty about the damage her hurtbots had taken agreed, hence the cold shower.

_Damn, those hurtbots are tough. If they had been fighting together as a team I probably would've lost or at least had to use killing techniques. As it is, those two I put down are probably junk, pity that._

Ranma looked up in shock as the door opened and Brianna walked in, wearing only a towel. She blinked as, rather than finding a black haired hottie in need of nursing, she found a gorgeous redhead, whose wounds looked about a week old.

_Shit, this is gonna be just like my first night at the Tendo's with Akane walking in on me. But, hold on, I'm a girl now so, huh?_ It was at this point that Ranma's mind ran into an impasse and began to request more data before formulating a response. She simply stood there blinking in confusion as her hands tried unsuccessfully to cover her naughty bits.

Brianna smirked. "Is there some reason you needed to take a cold shower Ranma, something get a little too hard for comfort?"

Ranma flushed, knowing now what the heck that particular phrase meant. "No!" She yelled. "Gina just wanted to see me like this."

"Who knew my sister swung that way?" Ranma hurriedly got out and grabbed a towel as Brianna moved forward. She called after her "Next time I walk in on you I want you to be a guy, got it? And you still owe me a massage."

Ranma dressed and ran off quickly, blushing hotly.

* * *

Gina was positively bursting with scientific inquiry at seeing Ranma's new form. She sat in the living room with one cup of hot water and one of cold, eager to see Ranma change in person.

Ranma came in, still blushing from his encounter with Brianna. Gina looked at the red-head dressed in Ranma's clothing in surprise. "Good googily moogily, it's true. Fascinating."

Ranma grumbled as the mad scientist/adventurer walked around him, poking and prodding. After a cursory examination, she poured hot water on him, and watched the change, enthralled as the curvy, gorgeous girl turned into the hot, muscley hunk who'd moved in with her family.

Ranma gently stopped her as she went to pour water over his head, images of how Ukyo had played with his curse after she found out about it going through his mind. "Changing between actually slows down the healing process, so if you don't mind, pick one."

Gina smirked, running her hand from his collarbone and straight down to his crotch. "Oh, definitely this form. But if you're hurting you should come down to my lab. I'm certain I have something that'll help, or at least kill some time before dinner."

Ranma flushed and jumped away, putting the sofa between himself and Gina. She smiled, moving toward him. "Oh, come on Ranma, don't you want to play doctor?"

Ranma kept the sofa between them as they started to circle around. Gina stopped when Nabiki came in. "Dinner you two, and Gina, if you want to get anything beyond a blush out of Ranma, don't come on so strong." She ignored the look Ranma shot at her, remembering how forward she had been last night.

Ranma sighed in relief as Gina left the room blowing him a kiss. He tensed up again as Brianna came up behind him leaning into his back and putting her arms around him. "Mmmmm, muscley, so much better. Don't get me wrong Ranma, your girl form is hot, but I much prefer your male body."

Ranma stiffened in more ways than one as the half cat girl pressed her breasts against his back, but forcibly remembered,_ Akane's half a world away, and Nabiki said they wouldn't care if other girls flirted or whatever, but was that really true or some kind of twilight zone moment, cause really there's no way my life could work like that so this is bad I mean I…_

His thought processes ended abruptly as Brianna turned his head toward her and their lips met. Ranma turned himself around, his own arms going around her as she deepened the kiss immediately, thrusting her tongue into his mouth aggressively.

As they kissed, Ranma's aura again reached out, touching and changing Brianna's aura. A small red claw tattoo materialized on Brianna's back, right above her butt, and she moaned into the kiss hungrily.

Ranma broke the kiss off as his stomach rumbled. Brianna opened her eyes looking at him. "Oh yeah. I'm hungry too, Ranma." The way she looked at him made Ranma shiver, and he wasn't certain why.

She strode off, swinging her hips suggestively. Ranma closed his eyes briefly, before shaking his head and following behind her.

Dinner was again excellent, both the food and the company. Brit had opted to stay in El Dorado for the night, and Séance and Genn were at the main house cleaning up a few rooms so it was just Ranma and the four unattached girls. All of them flirted constantly with him in very different ways.

Kasumi flirted with her smile and gentle touches on his leg and hand under the table. Nabiki simply used her words and the way she ate her food, using far more tongue than necessary for pasta, nearly flicking it at him with every bite.

Gina and Brianna were more overt, touching him and trying to rub against him. Gina also leaned over as much as possible, allowing Ranma to see straight down her shirt.

After a few minutes of sheer terror, Ranma settled down and enjoyed the attention, despite his engrained fears of affection. He was also a little overwhelmed, being the center of the attention of four beautiful women. Eventually though he realized they were all having fun, and began to relax a little and enjoy it.

After dinner he helped Kasumi clean up as the others went to watch TV. The two again made out for a bit after they were done, a much more intense session than earlier, though Ranma broke it off after Kasumi squeezed his sore ribs with surprising strength. Ranma waved off her concern as he left turning in for an early night.

Far below him, Gina entered her robotics lab, grinning evilly.


	6. Chapter 5 Settling In

I do not own GD or Ranma. Note that the changes to the GD timeline won't occur until during/after the wedding arc if that arc happens at all. I will be posting a poll after I post the next chapter about whether or not Brittany should join the harem and if so what should happen with Strype. Can go either way at this point honestly. Not a lot of action in this chapter, just giving some information about the characters and how they are interacting. The next chapter will have action galore so look forward to it.

**Chapter 5 Settling in**

The next few days fell into a bit of a routine. Ranma would wake up, help Kasumi make breakfast and spend time with her. She was startled, but accepting on the second day when he came into the kitchen as a girl, and Ranma couldn't detect any hesitation or revulsion in her, or Nabiki later that day.

He didn't see Brianna or at all that second day until dinner (she was still doing inventory on her weapons), so wasn't able to see if she would react to his female from until later in the week. After getting over a case of bust-envy Brianna was fine with it, going so far as to initiate a few make out sessions with the buxom redhead.

In the mornings, he would train with Brit to transform to his werecat form on command. She and Gina studied Ranma's werecat form and decided he looked like a gigantic housecat, with some lion genes thrown in. He had a mane and was as tall as Onoli, the large werelion leader of the Edge Guard Brit had met. His build however was wiry rather than bulky. His ears were also different, larger and more pointed than Onoli's, and his tail was a housecat's tail rather than a lion. His form also put out a monstrous amount of pheromones, and this caused problems for both girls.

After lunch, Ranma would train for two hours with Strype, a few of his guards and Brit, teaching them what he knew of pressure points. All of the El Doradans were quick studies, but Brit couldn't seem to get it, though her balance and precision training was going very well.

In the afternoons, Ranma would practice alone until dinnertime, focusing on his speed in werecat from and in both human forms. He also worked on his ki attacks, building up his resistance and reserves as much as he knew how. Ways to increase his reserves, project pure rather than emotional ki attacks and strengthen his body against attacks eluded him, so he built on what he already knew. Within a week, he had surpassed his strength back in Nerima, and had increased his speed in both human forms so that he was as fast normally as when he had used the Amaguriken technique, which was even faster. He was still slower than Cheetah though which irritated him and amused her. In female form though Ranma came way closer than Cheetah would have thought.

For their part, Gina and her sisters were amazed at how efficient the two sisters were in their areas of expertise.

Kasumi took over household maintenance. No longer were clothes only done when they had to be. Even the labs were cleaner and more organized than ever before. Every meal was simply amazing. All three girls fell in love with Kasumi's cooking and gentle manner, which smoothed over rough spots that otherwise would have had the sisters at each other's throats.

One such incident occurred when Brianna was experimenting with her Bit-bombs, and nearly wrecked Gina's lab. The offer of helping her clean it and give her someone to talk to made Brianna feel better. Giving Gina her sister's share of cookies and other treats for two days made Gina feel justice had been served (all hail the mighty cookie provider!).

Nabiki had taken control of a bit of their finances, not all of it, just enough to show them what she could do. The rest of her time was taken studying business and computers via e-learning courses from the local college. She excelled at both, and still had time to join Ranma and Kasumi for meditation and low level kata lessons right before dinner. Ranma insisted Nabiki learn some martial arts for self-defense. Kasumi agreed, and Nabiki found it impossible to argue with them both, but insisted on dragging Brianna into it as well. The gun nut wasn't pleased at first, but acquiesced, chalking it up as a way to spend time with Ranma. Kasumi taught them as well, surprising Brianna. No one back in Nerima, but Nabiki, who had known all along, and Ranma, who picked it up by watching her move around the kitchen, knew that Kasumi had continued her studies of martial arts after their father stopped teaching them. Indeed, Kasumi Tendo was known as one of the best female practitioners of aikido in Japan, something she was able to hide from everyone else in Nerima.

Gina wasn't happy though, because Nabiki had nixed a contract she had been working on for several profitable patents. She couldn't argue however. Nabiki had researched the company and found it to be a little too unscrupulous to do business with. The devices would also be more profitable if sold singly to specific companies worldwide that could handle producing them in bulk rather than to one company for a lump sum. The net result was hurt feelings for the company Gina had been working with, but more money for the Diggers.

All in all life was better for all of them than it had been. For the Nerimans it was heaven, for the Diggers sisters life was simply better and easier than ever before.

Only Ranma was increasingly edgy. It was peaceful here, more peaceful than he had ever known. He knew from experience that when his life was peaceful it meant something bad was going to happen to him. The fact that the flirting had also continued bothered him a little. He still was not comfortable about initiating contact, but went along with it if Brianna, Nabiki or Kasumi started it. He was beginning to enjoy it a bit too much, and certain other problems were cropping up that he didn't know how to deal with.

Séance and Genn were no help. Genn spent most of his time sleeping or golfing. He said something about it being payment from Brianna but Ranma hadn't gotten the joke. Séance only came over to be with Gina and otherwise kept to himself at the main house, and seemed to be nervous around Ranma for some reason (his aura was so uncontrolled and powerful it gave Séance headaches to be in the same room with him for long). Thankfully, Gina flirted with him just as much as with Ranma when he was around so jealousy was not an issue.

It never occurred to him that chaos itself was not bad, only unpredictable. Taking it a step further, good things were as likely to occur as bad. Since so many bad things had happened to Ranma in Nerima, perhaps his Karma had finally changed course. Or perhaps not.

* * *

About a week after Ranma and the Tendo's had moved in, Gina came up out of her lab, leading her latest creation out to daylight. Ranma was practicing alone, Strype having learned enough pressure points to take over teaching Cheetah. That the couple used this time to flirt was lost on Ranma, who simply used the time to train himself even more.

He looked up as Gina came toward him through the grass. "Hey Ranma."

Ranma noticed the hurtbot standing behind her was a different design than the ones he had seen so far. It was Green and silver colored, with a slightly larger body than the others, but no rocket pack on the back and a more human appearance with two regular eyes and a larger mouth. It moved more fluidly than it looked, and seemed to have some new shiny parts mixed in with older ones.

"Afternoon Gina, what's up with the new 'roid?"

Gina smirked evilly. "Well, Ranma, I thought you would like a sparring partner. This guy's my new prototype, and he should give you as much fun as all the others did on your first day."

Ranma grinned. He was always looking for a good fight. "Sure."

Gina got out of the way, stepping back and taking out a small device. "Hurtbot 01, new order. Fight the human male, Ranma Saotome, until one of you is unable to continue. Override priority 02 for the duration of this fight. Confirm command?"

"Command confirmed." The robot immediately went on the attack, slashing at Ranma with a karate chop far faster than the other hurtbots.

Ranma barely dodged in time, and the two were off trading blows faster than Gina could follow.

Ranma smacked a fifteen punch combination into the hurtbot, and was surprised when the hits barely registered on its armor. A low kick took the legs out from under the robot, but it countered with a smashing palm strike that nearly dislocated his shoulder so rather than press his advantage Ranma was forced to back up. _This thing is faster than the others and is as strong as Ryoga. This is going to be fun._

The two slammed into one another again, Ranma taking to the air and using his superior maneuverability, just as he would against Ryoga. The robot did not seem to react as well as his old adversary, simply waiting until he came down rather than following him into the air.

Ranma landed several hundred hard kicks and strikes to 01's upper armor and head before disengaging, throwing a dozen mini moko's and putting some distance between them to assess the damage of his attack.

He only had a second before 01 closed the distance again throwing a more balanced attack at him then before but that wasn't what surprised him. His ki attacks had hit the robots body and done no damage. But his kicks had hit and he could tell they had connected more. _Okay so the armor is kind of weird, but I don't see…_

Ranma tried something new, attacking every spot on the robot he could, spreading his attack in a way he didn't usually do. It was better to strike the same area over and over again after all, that way you weakened it more.

He flipped backwards, using amugriken speed to land hundreds of double kicks to the robots lower body rocketing it into the air. He fired a large ki attack at it while it was in midair, but it righted itself and brought a single hand forward, slashing through the attack.

The robot landed and Ranma could see that 01 was now riddled with tiny dents everywhere. He smiled. _So that's it, some kind of anti-ki shield? I wonder how Gina programmed it to block my shots._ "Why don't you leave us alone for a bit Gina. I think we're done pulling punches now."

Gina gulped. Some of those mini-moko's had bounced off 01's ablative armor and nearly hit her where she stood on the sidelines. "Er, sure Ranma. O1 continue the fight until you or your opponent, Ranma, is unable to continue or verbalizes a halt command."

"Order confirmed." The robot launched an attack immediately, and Ranma blocked it, catching and throwing the robot into the ground hard enough to send up gouts of soil, which nearly hit Gina where she stood. She backed away hurriedly, walking back to the house as the fight escalated again.

* * *

The fight lasted three more hours, and both sides got in hard hits, Ranma more often than his opponent, but his hits didn't matter as much either. _And I just finished healing those ribs the other day_. He thought amusedly. Otherwise, he was simply black and blue all over again. _This is great damage endurance training._ Still, his opponent had taken a far worse pounding.

Ranma finally hit on the idea that it was his offensive hits that somehow triggered whatever shield Gina had installed. So instead of his normal aggressive hard style, he switched to a soft defensive style based off body throws and swift responses. It threw the robot out of its stride, and he was unable to land more than glancing hits. Ranma took the damage to return it four fold.

Just as Ranma saw Nabiki coming towards them out of the corner of his eye, his opponent fell to the ground one last time, collapsing onto its face. "This unit is unable to continue due to internal damage and low power."

Ranma sat back on his ass, breathing in large gulps of air. "That's cool man. Fight over."

"Affirmative, routing motor and combat energy to main core."

"Yeah, you do that." Ranma looked up, smiling as Nabiki looked down at him.

"You having fun out here Ranma? We can hear you in the house."

Just a really good fight, that's all." He stiffened as she sat down next to him, leaning against his shoulder.

Something deep inside him reacted to an odd scent in the air and made him turn, and their lips met hungrily. His cat side came out again, pushing him forward in conjunction with his still new and uncontrolled hormones.

Nabiki had always found Ranma hot, but after a hard workout, with his body glistening with sweat and the slight smell of sweat mixed with his cologne was when he was hottest. So when he kissed her, she pulled him to her hungrily, feeling her body turn to mush inside. Nabiki kissed him hard purring under him, her own hormones in the driver's seat.

This continued until he hissed in pain, which somehow got through to her brain and she moved back. She regained control of herself, stood up and pulled him up beside her. "Come on, hero, let's get you back and cleaned for dinner."

Ranma growled, catlike again, as he lightly nipped her neck from behind, but he regained control and moved away leaving her panting quietly. _We need to get a handle on this. Sometimes it's like he's in full cat mode and wants to jump our bones. Other times he's the sweet, naïve stud I fell in love with back in Nerima. He needs to learn to let his hormones out but also control them. Damn Genma, this is the kind of emotional and mental control that needs to be worked on gradually, not all at once, and on top of his curse, his werecat form, and the neko-ken merging with the rest of his psyche... That panda is in for a spaying if I ever see him again._

Ranma picked up the robot from where it lay, hoisting the android onto his back, wincing as his sore muscles took the weight. "Good fight dude."

"Statement is understood and acknowledged."

"I got some ideas for you though. Read up on soft styles. There are ways to counter them, and you can probably find 'em pretty easy if you have access to that internet thing or some soft style martial arts scrolls. Most of 'em have their own defenses built in."

"Query: is this an order?"

"Order, nah, just a suggestion. I want our next fight to be as good as this one, so I'm givin' ya some ways to improve. I did the same thing to Ryoga before he became a total pigs-ass." Nabiki giggled at this description, though inwardly she was still castigating herself about not having found out about Ryoga's secret. _Talk about hiding in plain sight! _ "You got other ideas how to improve yourself, do it."

Now normally a robot, especially one of Gina's hurtbots, would have to be ordered to do something, there being so many protective codes that had to be obeyed they stopped most growth. Gina was a strong proponent of Artificial intelligence and free will, but she was also a fan of the Terminator movies. No one was going to blame **her** for creating Skynet, no sir!

But what none of the Diggers had fully realized yet, as they had not seen it in action, was the notorious Ranma Chaos Effect. Dr. Diggers would soon discover it in his aura and name it, but for now it was an undiscovered phenomenon.

As they continued to the house, the suggestions Ranma made took root in 01's programming, and the robot responded to them as if they were high priority commands. The idea of self improvement had been added to his core programming.

"You do know you're talking to that robot like it's a human right?" Nabiki asked, her lips twitching and her voice amused.

"Duh. It's a person ain't it? It can fight, so it's gotta be alive. Oh and what's your name by the way?"

The android on his back took a full second to realize this question was directed at it. Following user 1 Gina's commands to obey user 9, Ranma, it answered. "Unit designation is 01, prototype designation."

"Frick, that's just a number dude, I ain't about to call you by a number. Let's see…."

Kasumi opened the door for them, and heard this last query. "Oh my, I would imagine a name should have something to do with what it does or a special power. Perhaps a color."

Nabiki shook her head, smirking "how about Silver?"

Ranma snorted, shaking his head. "Nay that don't fit." Kasumi frowned slightly at his speech pattern and he hurried on. He had tried to correct his bad grammar with her, but after a fight or during one it always reverted back to type. "Um, how about… Hurtz, like hurtbot and gigahertz, that's got something to do with computers and stuff right?"

01 thought about it, it's CPU trying to comprehend if this was an order or not. "Change of designation acknowledged. This unit is now designated Hurtz."

* * *

Nabiki and Brianna came out of the house, intending to go to a nearby lake so Brianna could test some of her underwater technologies, including a small power cell and engine she was working on. She had designed a brand new type of intelligent bit-bomb, but had yet to find the perfect engine or power cell for it and this was going to be her fifth attempt. Nabiki just wanted a chance to swim.

They paused as they saw Kasumi walking down the driveway to the entrance, carrying a large wooden sign. "Kasumi what's that you have there?"

Kasumi looked up, smiling. Across the street a mother and her very young daughter both saw the 'goddess of the kitchen' as Kasumi was already known, and began to walk toward her. "Ara, Nabiki-chan, Brianna-san. I thought that we should put out a sign, like the one we had back home."

Nabiki remembered the sign from their dojo back home. The dojo itself had a sign, proclaiming it the Tendo dojo. Another notice was added to this soon after Ranma's arrival. It read 'to challenge and brutally dismember the dojo master please use back door.'

Remembering this, Nabiki took the sign from under Kasumi's arm. It said in English, 'Diggers Residence: To issue a martial arts challenge ring bell twice. To try and steal technology or mercilessly attack the owners of the house ring three times. Cooking recipes and other peaceful intentions ring bell once.'

Nabiki looked up astonished and amused at her older sister. The peaceful, serene expression on the older girls face did not match the wicked humor in her eyes and Nabiki laughed, reaching out and hugging her older sister. "Oh, Kasumi, I love you."

Brianna read the sign as the two sisters shared a chuckle. "I take it you expect these to be regular occurrences?"

Nabiki nodded as Kasumi turned to greet the neighbors walking up. Her welcoming smile caused the young girl to grin and run forward, hugging her newest friend around the waist. Everyone in the neighborhood, especially the young children, had quickly fallen under Kasumi's spell. "Oh gods yes. Back in Nerima a week wouldn't go by without somebody attacking Ranma at home or challenging the master of the dojo. Of course, at home they both meant the same thing; my so-called father would force Ranma to take his place as the dojo master, and the fat fool would go along with it. Here at least he'll get help some of the time."

Brianna blinked in surprise before shrugging and following after the shorthaired girl back to the car. Kasumi stayed to talk to the neighbor and her child for a time, the new sign in place next to her.

* * *

Kasumi turned a corner in the house, heading deeper into the basement carrying a heavy pile of miscellaneous items she had found in odd corners. _I'll have to ask Brianna or Gina to identify them; some of them are truly strange looking though this roll of odd tape is very helpful._ She especially wanted to know what the cute little robot thing that had followed her out of Briana's room was called. _It's so cute I wonder if they could program it to be some kind of pet for me?_

She saw Hurtz walking up from the lab, going out for its daily fight with Ranma. The robot had improved by leaps and bounds from their first fight, gaining experience and styles to add to its repertoire at a incredible rate.

Gina had mentioned that it was acting strange, but Kasumi hadn't seen anything odd in the androids actions. After all, it was only human to want to be better at something.

Hurtz paused on its mission nodding at user 10, Kasumi.

The nature of the force called wa in Japan is a very odd concept. The basic premise is that all things have a kind of life, or energy to them. Places and items in close contact will share this energy, and will over time form an intelligence, a life. If a person becomes attuned to these energies, by love, sacrifice or simple personality, then those energies will respond to you, consciously and subconsciously. A master of Wa can feel anything that happens in his or her domain. She can gain life force from her surroundings, even influence events. The house will actually defend her. Doors will refuse to open, the floor will suddenly become slippery, electricity will shock the attacker and other mishaps will occur to the unwelcome.

Androids are, essentially, appliances. The androids in the Digger's residence are part of their household. Ergo, they too were part of the house's wa, and were affected by the changes in it.

"May this unit help you, user Kasumi?"

Gina walked into the kitchen to grab a snack and stopped astonished. One of her hurtbots stood there, holding a basket of cloths as Kasumi stood by the washer, carefully separating and ironing, humming happily to herself.

The robot looked at her creator and seemed to shrug uncomfortably, before turning back to Kasumi. Gina stood there for a moment, before shrugging in turn and turning away.

* * *

It was a nearly two weeks after Hurtz had been named, and Ranma found himself standing with the Flirtinator, as he called her, between two giant robot arm thingies. "Come on Gina, why do I have to come with you to this library place? It doesn't sound dangerous or anythin' and I could be training."

Gina rolled her eyes in exasperation. _Ranma's cute (okay deliciously hot in both forms, if you swing that way) but try to get him interested in anything outside martial arts or fighting and you run into stubbornness not seen since the titans battled the gods._ "Ranma honestly. It isn't just a library, its Shangri La, **the** library, the greatest to ever exist, with literally worlds full of books and scrolls that can be found nowhere else. I'm certain they'll have more scrolls about martial arts than you can ever imagine."

"Really?" Now Ranma seemed interested, though he was still a little miffed about missing training time. He wasn't like his father, who never saw good in anything else, but he did know what he was interested in. A few hours spent with the others 'broadening his horizons' per day (usually watching movies, going for walks, playing games or making out) was enough for him.

Gina breathed a sigh of relief. "Really. And I want you along because you're supposed to be my bodyguard. My ex-boyfriend is the librarian of Shangri La, and his present girlfriend is the jealous type. She's also a martial artist, and can beat the stuffing out of me with her pinky."

Ranma nodded, now that was more like it. "Alright let's go."

Gina nodded and waved at Brianna who activated the teleporter. She thought again about going with them, but Brit had convinced Nabiki and Kasumi to come shopping with her, and Brianna wasn't going to miss that trip for the world.

Lights flashed and shimmered and the lab disappeared. Seconds later Ranma and Gina appeared in the amphitheater of/Shangri La the library city.

A tall, well-built bald man with strange marks on his face approached them, hands held out in welcome. Next to him was a woman who Ranma immediately put down as Shampoo done large, though the small metal globe hovering over her shoulder was new. She had an aura of independence and confidence, but Ranma read their auras and put them both at his father's level with the yami sen ken and umi sen ken sealed, about half his own level.

"Gina, welcome back. I trust those books you borrowed last time were helpful."

"Khan, yes they were. My time dilation device is almost complete thanks to their help. Oh this is Ranma Saotome, Ranma this is Khan and Lynn, the librarian and Empress of Shangri La."

Ranma nodded affably. "Yo."

Khan looked at him. "A martial artist yes, what style do you study?" Lynn was also watching the newcomer with interest.

Ranma shrugged. "Well, I was trained in the Anything Goes School, but now I just train myself however I want to."

Khan smiled in recognition. "Anything Goes, that means you learned under mater Happosai yes? He is one of our most frequent visitors. His name appears in our register going back a thousand years. I myself have met him a few times, though I haven't seen him in the last 2 years. He actually wrote several scrolls of ki manipulation and regeneration."

Ranma nodded, hiding his surprise at how long Happosai had been around. "Yeah the old man knew his stuff. I'd never learn anything like that from him though. Probably all have to do with perverted stuff and women's underwear."

Khan laughed while Gina and Lynn shared a startled look. "Yes, most of them are like that, though they are effective despite the perversion. But tell me, while Gina is reading her books do you want to check any out yourself?"

"Sure, got any about toughening the body, ki attacks, or enlarging your ki reserves?"

Khan blinked in surprise, but nodded. "Certainly." He looked at the register and shrugged. "That doesn't narrow the list down enough for the system to help us. Follow me."

The others followed him to a side section, almost over flowing with scrolls and books. Khan led them on, until they came to a long aisle. "Anything to do with ki is in this section. The next section over has body hardening and muscle related techniques."

Ranma moved forward faster than any of the watchers could follow. They heard mutters from thin air as he moved through the aisle. "Seen it, seen it, used it, flawed, flawed , flawed, seen it, emotional ki attacks, been there mastered that, using ki to enhance speed, heh, using ki to enhance strength been there, using ki as a shield, interestin' but already workin' on it. Mediation exercises to raise your ki awareness, done that. Meditation exercises to enhance, no to enlarge **there** we go. And this one looks interesting to."

Ranma came back out with two scrolls under his arm and went to the next, moving through it just as swiftly. He came out of there with only one. "I gotta tell ya, most of the scrolls here are too old to read, and some of the others are flawed techniques. The yata no seki and the emotional ki attacks 'n such."

Khan nodded. "yes, ki attacks are tricky. Most martial arts masters simply use ki to strengthen the body or enhance their speed, if they use it at all."

Ranma nodded, keeping his humor to himself. He had learned how to do that by the time he was seven. After all, his father refused to take it easy on him and it was the only way a young boy could take on a fully grown man and come away with bruises rather than broken bones. "Look, guys, this might take a while. Why don't you go off and do whatever. I'll be alright here."

Gina shrugged, and Khan left her and Lynn alone, but within sight of the main desk. The two went to a nearby table and opened the books they had. (For the rest of this scene, see the first story in Gold Brick 2)

* * *

Ranma read the first scroll while doing a handstand. "Living beings are composed of various spiritual elements working in harmony. The elements are fire, earth, wind, iron, wood, water, darkness and light. Every living soul is attuned to a single element more than others. To find your element reach id, the point of emptiness, and think of the true name of the element in Ur listed here. The warrior will feel a pull toward the element he or she is closest to. After you have done this, you will be able to call it into being with an exertion of will, infusing the element into your ki, to be used in attacks as you can imagine them."

_Alright, let's do this._ Ranma assumed the lotus position and breathed in deeply. Letting it out, he began to meditate, but could not empty his mind. _Maybe I should change gears. _He leaped to his feet and began to do a very complex kata. After a few minutes, he was able to shut his mind down long enough to reach the level of nothingness talked about in the scroll. He began to run through the list of elements naming each one in turn. Nothing happened until he thought the word _Alban._ At that word, he felt a pull on his consciousness, his id exploding into radiant white light. "wow!"

Ranma sat down, exhausted from whatever had just happened. He picked up the scroll and read through it again, but that seemed to be all it contained. He would have to think up his own attacks.

Ranma shrugged and turned to the next scroll. _How to enlarge your ki reservoir…_

Gina left Lynn and Khan together after being shot down by the artificer globe. She found Ranma moving through a complex kata, slowly but with each move controlled, precise. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be thinking. She waited until he finished, gazing at him lustily as his body moved and danced under complete control. When he was finished she waved at him. "You ready to go Ranma?"

Ranma nodded. He picked up the two scrolls he wanted to take and they moved to the checkout area. As they arrived back home Ranma asked "So when are you all gonna go on these adventures I've been hearing about? I'm a little stir crazy here."

Gina grinned. "Funny you should mention that. I just picked up the last bit of information I needed to find my next exaction site. So you free this weekend?"

Ranma grinned back, nodding happily.

end chapter


	7. Chapter 6 First adventure

I don't own Ranma or GD.

As stated a few times before, the plot line will be follow the GD timeline and arcs for a time, but each successive arc will be changed more and more until after or before the wedding arc. I have also put up a new poll to see what people think of adding Brittany and what should happen to Strype, though I have laid the groundwork in this chapter for either friendship or inclusion.

h

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**Chapter six First Adventure**

"Hey Gina, you know I was against us coming here. But for a 300 year old city buried under tons of ice, this place has style."

"I agree Brit, if only everyone and their mother hadn't found it!"

"So true." Brit looked around them. Barring she-who-must-not-be named narly every competitor they had was here. Beside her Ranma simply shrugged glancing around and taking it all in. The place was kind of cool, even if it was built by some long dead race of lizards (at least that was what Gina said, and she was the girl with the brains so he wasn't about to argue).

To one side stood Ryan Tabbot, Gina's off again on again boyfriend. He was glaring at the black haired youth beside Gina and Brittany. _I don't like the way they're both standing so close to him._ _Still, the dude's build is barely better than Séance's. Probably another magic user, he'll fold after one hit._ This just went to prove that no matter how smart Ryan was, in certain ways he was a complete idiot.

Next to him stood the telepathic Siamese twins, Montara. To the other side, Penny Pincer and her new bodyguard Charlotte stood glaring over at Pee Wee and his group. "I don't care about Ryan or the twins, I just think we should kick the midget and his cronies out of here! I bet he's already planned to screw us over!" She paid no mind to Gina's new bodyguard.

Pee-Wee, or Lord Talon as styled himself, smirked back at her. "Actually my dear, I'm saving you for puberty." Penny shrieked and the two started shouting at one another.

Next to him, Galford kept a wary eye on the young man standing by the Diggers sisters. He could see he was some kind of martial artist, but how good and what style eluded him.

"Hey, Brit, while Gina's dealing with the rest of 'em can ya give me the low down on who's who here?" Ranma had already given them all a once over and found none of them to be a real threat. _The ninja has decent potential, maybe around the level I was before Happosai showed up and the woman next to him seems physically strong, but their ki's all messed up for some reason. _ The red headed man was not a threat either, though Ranma could sense some hostility from him. _The Phoenix girl is a bit out of place though_. "And What's with the Phoenix girl?" He asked, pointing.

Charlotte looked at him in surprise. "Penny, is that what I am, a Phoenix?"

"No, honey you're something else. I don't know what he's talking about." Penny glared at him.

Ranma held up his hands peacefully. "Hey don't get your feathers all ruffled, I just thought she was related to a tribe I met in China a few months back. They had wings and claws like that. If she ain't don't mind me." Penny nodded, but filed that information away for later. She had never been to China, whose government did not like foreign adventurers coming into their country, but maybe she should look into that.

Brittany filled him in on the others as Gina tried to argue her case with the archeologist Society's representative, getting nowhere. "Pee-wee" she pointedly ignored his outraged rejoinder, "over there is a genius with an IQ off the charts who is into DNA and genetic manipulation. His two flunkies" she likewise ignored Zelda's growls "are his bodyguards who he modified."

She went on to describe the others as Ranma looked at Zelda and Galford speculatively. _I guess that could be why their ki is so fucked up. It's like the time Akane ate the Super Soba. Damnit, why are there so many wannabes who think they can take a shortcut to the top?_ He turned back in to Brit's voice just as she finished. "I don't know who the new guy is."

"I am Lando Rivalson peasant, and my company is interested in the technologies that may be available here. I am here to personally oversee the operation." Lando introduced himself.

Ranma shook his head looking around as the old lady finished speaking. It was clear none of these groups were willing to share, though watching Penny and the twins gang up on Gina was kind of funny. "So what you're saying is we've got two groups **maybe** who are interested in knowledge, and the rest are glorified thieves."

Cheetah grinned as everyone else tried to work out who was who. "Ooh, Ranma used a big word." Ranma smirked at her pinching her side in reply and she giggled, causing Ryan's eyebrows to twitch violently. The two had become friends since that first unfortunate introduction, and they often teased one another like this. Her introduction to Ranma's were-form had been embarrassing to say the least, but they had moved past it and gotten closer. Now if she could only control her body's reaction to it they would be fine. Not that Strype complained overmuch about her increased libido when she came looking for him after working out with Ranma getting him used to changing from one form to another but it irritated her that she didn't have much control over it.

After the distribution of the city to all parties was announced the three walked off to their designated area of the city. Brit broke off halfway to set up a relay station so they could keep in contact with the outside. Genn and Séance were driving the ginamobile over now, and would have to be told where to go.

Ranma went with Gina, over her strenuous objections that he should stay with her sister. "Face it Gina, you're the one who needs a bodyguard the most. Brit can look after herself."

Cheetah overheard that as the two went around a corner and she grinned at the faint praise. She had gotten better with Ranma as a sparring partner, though she still was nowhere near as good as he was, but it felt good to know that he felt she could look after herself.

* * *

Ranma and Gina moved further into the underground city, though Ranma was beginning to feel uneasy. He kept on hearing something, just at the edge of his hearing, but couldn't make it out. He almost missed Penny, Charlotte and Ryan coming toward them he was so preoccupied.

He stepped forward though as Ryan tried to sneak up on Gina. "Yo. Whatchu guys want?"

Gina turned from studying the hieroglyphs to see Ryan and Penny there. "What's up guys, couldn't find anything in your own sections?"

Ryan turned from glaring at Ranma to address his on again, off again girlfriend. "Nah Gina. We just want to join forces for a bit, for mutual protection."

"Oh? You I can understand but Penny wanting to join forces with me? That's a laugh."

Penny shook her head, curly black hair cascading along her shoulders. "Normally that'd be true, but man that Pee Wee jerk, he plays dirty. I know we've played tricks on one another in the past, but he wouldn't hesitate to put us all in traction, or even kill us."

Ranma smirked. "Don't worry about that. Those bodyguards of his aren't worth shit."

Ryan glared at him. "Overconfidence like that will get you killed in the big league kid. Why don't you run back home and leave this to the adults."

"Says the Rod Van Damme look-alike." Ranma shot back. He had been introduced to Hollywood action movies by Brianna and was **not** impressed.

Gina stepped between them. "Alright that's enough you two. I agree Penny we should work together." She took out her radio and called her sister. "Cheetah, is that relay set up yet?" Only static answered her. She looked up at the others but Ranma was already moving down the tunnel, Ryan following a second later.

* * *

Cheetah spoke into the radio, trying to get Genn and Séance on the line. "Hey, Genn, how's it going out there? I'll try to direct you in, but the signal's going to be crap. Even with the relay the cities electronics are still messing with our signal."

"We hear you Brittany. The signal is very weak though." Séance acknowledged.

"Roger. There's some kind of depot being set up on the west side by that Rivalson douche, it should be a safe place to park. Just be careful, some of the others around here are bound to be up to something."

"Got that right, Spots." Brittany turned to see Galford and Zelda standing a few feet away from her.

"Under orders of lord Talon, you are to be removed from the field of play." Galford spoke formally, almost pompously as was his want.

Brit grinned, pulling her green bike gloves on. "then it's a good thing that I brought my goon kicking gloves along." The two attacked, trying to pin her between them. She moved quickly, dodging under Zelda's kick and grabbing her leg in a judo throw. Brit twisted, smacking Zelda into the wall, only to receive a punch in the gut from Galford. She rolled with it, coming to a stop and flashing out two speedy kicks, which the ninja barely blocked.

Zelda returned to the fight and landed a hard blow to Cheetah's back, and Galford spun to the side delivering a spin kick which sent her tumbling back. "She has improved a bit, but her defense is still sub-par."

Zelda nodded. "Yeah, she's reacting better, but her defense still has holes you could drive a car through."

"Hey assholes" Brit sped past them both, clotheslining them. "You think you're done with me?" Zelda fell to the ground choking and messaging her throat, but Galford had managed to block it.

He dove to the side and came up, hands clasped together. "Yes we are finished with you. Gado-beam!"

A large blast of ki rocketed toward her, but Cheetah had seen similar attacks in the past two weeks and dodged easily.

Galford blinked. He had thought to take her by surprise with that move.

Cheetah got some more distance and then came flashing back in. Galford smiled as she came in, going for a straight punch. At the last second he ducked, kicking out lightly to catch her ankle to send the werecheetah careening out of control. **Crash!**

Brit groggily got to her feet out of the rubble of the wall she had smashed into. "Alright asshole. You are going down." She sprinted forward. "You think you can take me?" She got in close, throwing punches as fast as she could. Galford blocked the ones he could, but several got through. He grunted in pain, but took the hits, waiting until the right moment to retaliate.

It came when Zelda rejoined the fight, trying to catch Cheetah with another flying kick which she dodged. He moved swiftly, surprising her and slamming her bodily into the wall. He kicked off the wall, landing a swift kick to her side. Cheetah rolled away from it getting more distance between them to try and plan her next attack.

Zelda and Galford were about to close in again when Galford found himself smashed into a wall from a blow he hadn't even felt coming. Zelda turned only to feel a pinprick on her neck and fall to the ground, her whole body going limp. "Not bad Brit, but what have I told you about relying only on your speed?"

Ranma stood there, arms folded across his chest.

Brittany grinned at the younger man. "To only rely on foot speed when I have a lot of room to maneuver and to use pressure points when I don't."

Ranma nodded. "That's right. Still, you did good, and I can understand forgetting to use them in your first fight after learning 'em."

Galford shook his head to clear it. He flipped to his feet, landing beside Zelda's limp form. "Well, I can see that the odds no longer favor us. Until next time." He threw several smoke bombs onto the ground and disappeared, carrying Zelda away.

Ryan chose this moment to show up, and grimaced realizing the fight was over. "Damn, and I wanted to show off my skills. Good job Brit, lets rejoin the others."

Ranma shrugged and he and Brittany followed the brash adventurer.

* * *

Back with Gina they discovered that Genn, Séance and the old woman from the archeology society had been ambushed by a new helper of Talon's named Ionis who had rather stupdily informed them of this in a childish bit of taunting via Séance's phone. Ranma could only shake his head sadly, seriously did evil villains have to go to school to learn this shit? Were there graduate courses devoted to how to prematurely gloat?

As he thought this Gina was taking charge. "Ryan, Ranma, I want you to go back to base camp and see if you can help them. We'll also need the ginamobile to get through the next section."

Penny looked over her shoulder, memorizing the map before running back to Charlotte who promptly picked her up. "Great, and now that I know that, our temporary alliance is done. See ya later Gold Digger!"

The harpy woman shot off through the air of the cavern, leaving behind a Dopplering shout of "Bye bye!"

Gina shouted after them "You, you cheater Pincher!"

Ranma had simply watched this from the sidelines, amused again by Penny and Gina's interacting and he shrugged as the Phoenix girl flew the two of them out of sight deeper into the city. "Whatever. It hardly matters who gets there first after all. And I ain't leaving you and Cheetah to go back to base camp. That job only needs one of us, and I'm your bodyguard, not Genn or Séance's."

Gina looked like she wanted to argue, but gave up at the mulish look on the younger man's face. "Fine, Ryan, head back and see what happened. You should be able to catch up with us later."

Ryan glared at Ranma again but nodded. _Gina'll make sure that I get a fair cut of the loot after all._

Cheetah led the way forward, until they came to a gigantic chasm, a huge canyon dug out of the city. Only a few small outcrops of rock dotted the way forward. Gina groaned "This is why I wanted the ginamobile."

Cheetah pointed ahead of them, where they could see two VTOL aircraft chasing after their car. "You mean the ginamobile that someone else is using right now to get ahead of us?"

Ranma shrugged, changing into his werecat form. Almost immediately, he could detect a change in the two women next to him. Gina was staring at him with an almost scary hunger in her eyes and Brit had blushed, joining her sister in staring at him for a few seconds before forcibly turning away her cheeks bright red. _I really have to figure out why this form seems to have that effect on every girl I meet._ He could also smell some kind of musky scent coming from both of them but especially Brit, and it was affecting him in odd ways. He literally had to tear his eyes away from Brit's magnificent rear, turning back to the chasm they had to get across before his eyes could latch onto Gina's ample chest. "let's get after them. Cheet's and I can jump that distance easily."

Gina closed her eyes as Brit picked her up and leaped forward, using her super speed to clear the distance from one mesa to another. Ranma followed after, his werecat form allowing him to sink his claws into the mesas rock for purchase that he would otherwise been hard put to use.

When they arrived at the far end Lendo's one remaining plane was flying to and fro, firing indiscriminately at everyone on the mesa below with its Vulcan machinegun. To one side stood the twins from earlier, apparently holding their own against two of Pee Wee's goons, Galford and a bald man throwing what had to be spells from a spell book hovering in the air next to him. As he watched though the twins began to flag. His next jump took him close enough to see a flash of white feather from within the dark entrance of a tunnel leading away from the ledge. The bald woman and the midget were nowhere in sight.

Brittany and her passenger landed a few seconds before he did, but Brit had already streaked in to join the fight, making straight for the ninja. Ranma paused. "Gina, what're you doing? Your cars a wreck there's no way to salvage it."

Gina pushed open the trunk of her destroyed car triumphantly. "I wasn't trying to fix it I was trying to get this out. I modified a few of them to be portable." As soon as the trunk opened a blue and green robot shot out. Ranma recognized one of Gina's hurtbots. "Hurtbot 28 priorities: protect me while I head further into the structure. Do not engage in combat except on my orders. Stealth mode."

Ranma grinned as he changed out of his werecat form. _Whatever Brittany says about most hybrids preferring that form, I always feel more at home in my original body. _"Does that mean I can join the fun now? You won't need me in there?" With most of their enemies here and with a hurtbot accompanying her, he felt able to leave her.

Gina nodded, "Have fun stud!" and took off for the entrance, hiding behind rocks for cover.

Ranma nodded and moved to join the fight as the hurtbot's chameleon skin activated and it followed its creator into the impenetrable gloom of the tunnel.

* * *

Gina snuck through the darkness of the tunnel. Now she was able to make out the muttering of a voice like Brittany and Ranma had mentioned. It was just at the edge of her hearing, either too low to make out or speaking a language that she could not understand. It sounded menacing however.

She hid behind a pillar as she came close to an open area. Peering around it, she saw Penny kneeling before some kind of control grid. Above the grid, encased in a stasis field of some kind were several giant jewels of varying sizes. "Good googily Moogily" Gina whispered.

A clawed hand reached out of the darkness and picked her up by the back of her jacket, hoisting her into the air as easily as a child. "Hi, Gina, I'm sorry but I have to capture you. Penny I caught someone, its Gina!"

Penny smirked. "Charlotte, you just made all that time spent teaching you self-defense pay off. You did good girl. Now why don't you do that thing on her I showed you."

"Okay!" The childish harpy girl smiled, reached into Gina's pants with two claws, grabbed her underwear and pulled up as fast as she could as hard as she could. Gina made little sounds of pain as the harpy worked. "Oops, it broke."

Gina stumbled to her knees, hands going to her butt in agony. _I am such an idiot! I could have ordered 28 to defend me, but no, I had to tell it not to act without express orders! Damnit!_

"Now just stay there on your knees and watch my moment of triumph." Penny inputted a final command on the control board, and the crystals began to fall to the floor. Suddenly the little light in the room disappeared and a huge fanged mouth and several large eyes appeared in the dark. A monstrous voice rang out "LEAVE!"

* * *

Back at the plateau, Lord Talon nodded from where he was hiding, motioning Zelda to follow him toward the entrance keeping well back from the battle royal. "The twins have used up their power and Ionis is keeping that new guy busy with his magic. Galford and Cheetah seem to be evenly matched, and rich-boy is out of ammo. We have a chance now, let's catch up with Penny and Gina. With you back in action we can take anything they've already found."

Zelda nodded, looking over toward Ranma with a lot of rage, a bit of fear and a smattering of arousal. Whatever he had done to her had literally made her unable to move for an hour. There were very few men who could take her on since Pee Wee modified her. The fact that watching him move was turning her on the more she watched was not helping matters. _ And that butt, yum!_ Still, she followed after her pintsize patron, entering the dark corridor that led deeper into the city.

After about five minutes walking, they heard the sound of running feet. At about the same time as the noise reached them, a flying blur went by at Zelda's head height. "Hey shrimp, I'd run if I were you!" Penny and Charlotte continued to flee as fast as the harpy's wings could carry them.

"Zelda! Did you see the size of that diamond she was carrying?" Zelda and Erwin both gaped for a moment before the sound of running feet was followed by the sight of Gina barreling down the corridor as fast as her legs could carry her.

Her hurtbot had bought her precious seconds to put some distance between her and the monster, and she would not waste it. She looked at them not stopping or slowing down as she yelled a warning. "Run, run for you very existence!"

Zelda and Erwin looked at each other. "Obviously something has threatened the cowards, but we are made of tough-"

A loud voice interrupted the young genius as a gigantic fanged maw appeared, teeth gleaming in the dark of the corridor. "Leave!"

Pee Wee squealed and pissed himself at the same time as Zelda grabbed him by the shirt and ran off, too late. Two bright lights sped toward them from the Wyrms face, intersecting with them in a bright flash.

* * *

Back at the plateau the fight ended as Charlotte and Penny barreled through, rushing out of the cavern as fast as they could. Lando in his VTOL turned and went after her, while behind them Gina burst onto the scene followed swiftly by the giant Wrym. "Thieves, leave this place!"

Ionis took one look, then cast a levitation spell on himself and Galford and took off back the way they came. Galford glared at him. "Fleeing like this without our companions is without honor."

Ionis smirked. "I could leave you here to search for them if you want."

"On the other hand, step on it."

"That's what I thought."

The twins stared in horror arguing with themselves in a terror laden voice. "I told you we shouldn't use all our power on the pyrotechnics earlier, I know, I know."

Ranma's thoughts, as always in a life or death situation, moved like quicksilver. He'd been toying with Ionis, not really fighting him and only keeping him busy so Gina and the hurtbot could do their thing. The number of spells Ionis could wield had given him some more experience against mages, but had not been a real threat thanks to his speed and reflexes.

Now Ranma grinned, shifting into werecat form and charging forward. He snarled out a challenge, bringing his arms under and forward, slashing at the lizard. "Wildcat claws!" Giant invisible claws slashed through the air, intersecting in an X on the wyrm's upper body, sending it flying backward against the wall of the cavern. "Hey asshole, I ain't a thief! I'm just a bodyguard and I challenge you, you overgrown iguana!"

The lizard righted itself, looking down at its scales for a moment before looking at Ranma, hissing in anger. Its armor was deeply scarred, though only a faint trickle of blood seeped out. _Such effrontery cannot go unpunished!_ It raised its head, addressing the lights blinking around it as they sped past. "Leave this one to me, find and expel all others."

Ranma grinned, flexing his claws. "Game on."

* * *

Ryan had made it back to base camp, and found Genn unconscious and Séance just rousing. The old lady from the archeology society was out of it as well. "What the heck happened here toothpick?"

Séance ignored Ryan's name calling and focused on what was important. "Ionis surprised us with a stun spell. My own natural resistance allowed me to wake up faster than the normal six hours. What is worse is I have felt the spirit of this place. It is powerful in the extreme and wants us all to leave. If we do not, it will expel us using whatever means necessary."

Ryan nodded. "Right, I'm heading back to the others. I'll get 'em out of here. You take these two back to base camp."

Séance grabbed his arm before Ryan could leave. "No. I need to go with you. If you run into a magical assault, I am the best bet we have to get out of here alive."

Ryan glared at him. "No way, you'll only slow me down."

Séance glared right back. "I am going, you will all need my help. So we can either stand here arguing about who gets to go rescue Gina, or we can work together and do it." Ryan glared some more before nodding.

* * *

In the main cavern, things had changed greatly. For one thing, Lendo's aircraft, damaged by a lucky shot from Penny's crossbow, had disappeared, intersected by one of the flashing lights. Galford and Ionis had tried to get away, but before they could exit the cavern, flashing lights attacked them and they too disappeared.

Gina and Cheetah were on the main ledge, running towards the wreck of the ginamobile, looking over their shoulders as their friend made a stand against the lizard. "Ranma, run for it! That thing's way too big for you to take on."

Ranma took up a stance as the lizard reared ever higher, pulling more of its body out of the corridor behind it. "This's the reason yer mom wanted me along Gina. Geddouta here and let me get on with the body guarding!" With that Ranma charged forward, roaring. The lizard slithered forward to meet him.

Cheetah tore her eyes away from the man cats rippling back to glare at her sister. "Gina, we can't just leave him, he's no match for that thing!"

"You're right, but try telling him that! We need to get back to base camp. I've got another two hurtbots there and some of my BFG's." She ran over to her wrecked car and went into the back seat from which she pulled out a backpack that turned out to be a small rocket pack. Cheetah strapped it on and grabbed her smaller sister around the middle. The two sped forward over the cavern, while behind them the sound of world war three erupted.

They were about halfway across the cavern when Montara came out of hiding, using a bit of their power to steal the Digger's forward momentum, rocketing themselves across the cavern from one platform to another. Gina and Cheetah stopped in midair, all their forward progress ended in an instant.

The two sisters screamed as they began to fall back into the darkness below. "AHHHHH!"

"Brit, Gina, grab onto this!" A rope sped by them, and both girls reached for it. Cheetah swiftly pulled herself up to a small ledge leading into a side passage that Ryan and Séance had used to come to their aid as swiftly as they could. Between them, Ryan and Brit quickly pulled Gina up on the rope.

"Jinkies, Ryan, you and Séance really saved the day huh? Wow, and you're doing something to protect us huh Séance, you big hero you." She hugged him hard around the middle, pressing her breasts into his chest making him blush.

Séance stood arms above his head in a casting position as he tried to ignore the distractions pressed against him. "We aren't out of danger yet Gina. I'm casting presence mask and it will keep us from being spotted but I can't hold it for long. You all need to get out of here."

Gina was about to refuse when Brit grinned. "Don't worry guys, I'll get Séance out of here. You two get going."

Ryan nodded and grabbed Gina around the middle pulling her off.

"So hero, how long can you keep casting this spell?"

"About another minute or so. Where's Ranma?" A loud crash followed by an infuriated roar answered him. "Never mind."

Brit nodded. "He's buying us time, but we still need to move. When your spell starts to fail tell me and we'll rocket out of here."

* * *

Ryan and Gina exited from the side passage onto the main one, moving towards the entrance. About a minute later they watched as the flying lights vanished Penny, Charlotte and the twins. They ran back the way they had come, only to run into Cheetah and Séance. "There's more behind us!" The werecat yelled.

Séance turned, trying to call up an aura shield, but it was futile. Four lights merged with them and they disappeared.

* * *

Ranma leapt into the air, coming down onto his opponents swinging tail. Racing up it as the monster tried to throw him off he yelled, "Bukutsai Tenketsu!" He shoved his palm into the things armor in several places as he raced up its back. As he had hoped, the technique worked, and several of the lizard's armored scales blew apart, revealing still more armor underneath. _Damn, not enough damage._

He neared the things head, and it at last was able to shake him off.

However, mid-air combat was the specialty of the Saotome School of Anything Goes. Instead of flailing wildly or being a sitting duck, Ranma flipped himself in midair and came back in on the attack, "Katchu Tenshin amaguriken!" throwing kicks and punches as fast as he could.

His ki infused attacks weren't strong enough to hurt the thing alone, but with hundreds of them hitting at a time the damage added up. Especially since his attacks were focused around the eyes and nose, a very sensitive part on any serpent. He fell back away from the serpents lunging mouth, using his ki claw attack again. The move slammed the giant snakes head down onto the ledge below.

Ranma landed on top of one of the peninsular outcrops, looking on as the serpent righted itself. He took a long look at the bleeding gashes on the things face. The serpent had dodged at the last second and rather than take out the things eyes he had opened several small cuts on its face. They weren't much, but it was progress.

For its part, Winlifion the Wyrm was flummoxed. The young were-beast (the wyrm knew only a youngling would be so brash as to challenge one such as itself to single combat) was giving him the toughest fight he had known for a millennia. His huge body had several tiny wounds now, and that slashing attack, whatever the odd force behind it, was something entirely new to him.

What was worse, the werecat was simply too fast for him to hit with his large body. Winlifion had no trouble moving around the cavern. His body was large enough to reach the bottom of the chasm without trouble, but the werecat seemed as at home in the air as on the ground! The need to jump from one ledge to another was actually working in its favor, leaving the giant wyrm unable to retaliate effectively! He had tried to destroy the ledges to force the werecat back, but even that hadn't worked.

_Perhaps I need a new strategy._ The Wyrm retreated a ways, keeping its many eyes on its opponent. Winlifion put his head back down on the plateau leading deeper into his lair and concentrated.

Ranma paused as the wyrm's entire body began to glow green. He watched astonished as the lizards body began to shrink, the glow intensifying. A minute later, the glow faded, and Ranma looked at his opponent's new body.

Winlifion new form stood two meters tall and was built like a pro wrestler. He was entirely green and covered with scales, had four arms, long ears and four eyes above a serpentine mouth. Ranma could see small bruises on its body, and one x shaped wound on its chest and another smaller one above its uppermost left eye. The thing smiled, showing serrated teeth.

_He looks like that green Yogi guy from Stars Wars crossed with the champion in Mortal Combat, whatever his name was, _Ranma thought, grinning, as he changed into his normal body and took a stance facing his opponent. "Now, that's more like it."

Winlifion blinked at the werecat, surprised into addressing the thief for the first time. "Why didst thou change form to fully human?"

Ranma shrugged. "tit for tat. You changed into human, I matched you. Wouldn't have been fair otherwise."

Winlifion blinked its myriad eyes again. "Thou hast honor for a thief."

Ranma growled. If there was one thing that would always set his fur on edge it was being called a thief. His father had manipulated him into being just that when he was younger far too often.

He moved in swiftly, throwing punches from Baku Gon and following up with a Muy Thai combo with his legs. "I told you" he snarled between blows, "I'm no thief, I'm just a bodyguard."

Winlifion blocked what blows it could, motor control of this human form coming back to him slowly. It had been more than two hundred years since it had needed to change shape after all. A particularly hard kick to the side of its face and a knee to the shoulder sent him rolling backwards. As he came to his feet again he spoke up. "Perhaps thou art not a thief, but thou keepest company with them."

Ranma paused in his attack looking his opponent in the eye. "If so, I will see what was stolen returned to you."

Winlifion snorted. "That I wilt believe upon sight." He launched his own attack and the fight began in earnest.

From the beginning it was a different fight altogether from before. Ranma was still far faster, but Winlifion was just fast enough to keep up. He was also **far **stronger than Ranma, and he was able to hit him now.

Ranma reeled away from one such hit, getting distance between himself and his opponent as he recovered. _Shit, that punch just about caved in my side. This thing is way stronger than even Ryoga! The iron body technique really helped, but I need to concentrate on it more when I get home, I can't take too many hits like that. _He lashed out with a dozen mini-mokos, following up by getting in close and launching a furious amiguriken assault. His enemy reeled under the hits, and Ranma spun sideways planting a hard kick that knocked him off his feet and away.

Winlifion struggled to his feet. He was now bruised in several places, his armor in this form not as thick as his natural one. _Yet, why dost he not use that slashing attack? Canst it be that he cannot in human form? If so, he has hobbled himself more than honor wouldst require._ The wyrm did not know Ranma had made a conscious decision not to use his claw attack. Ranma was many things, but he was not a cold blooded killer, and he feared that attack would kill his enemy in its human form.

The wyrm roared, letting out a bellow and shooting off a huge fireball from his mouth at his enemy. Ranma ducked, but ran straight into his opponent's snap kick. Ranma retaliated instantly with a mini moko to the knee of the lizards other leg. The two backed away from one another again.

Ranma shook his head to clear it from the ringing that blow caused as well as the blood from a new gash on his forehead. That strike had been one of the hardest he'd ever felt. _Thank god for Akane and her mallet toughening my head up. If not for that training, that blow would've finished me_.

Winlifion looked down at his knee. Those attacks while not magical in nature were very effective. His knee was now nearly devoid or armor and the skin underneath exposed in places. The leg could still carry his weight, but it was a weakness the wyrm would have to watch out for.

A wisp appeared, hovering over its masters head. "Master, all the interlopers have been ejected from your domicile as you instructed save this one."

Winlifion snarled a reply as Ranma came back in on the attack. "Good, now durst leave me alone. I art busy!"

The two exchanged more punches and kicks, Winlifion's durability slowly getting the better of his opponent. Ranma took to the air again, using the Wyrm's upper left arm as springboard to get behind him. He was able to land several hundred hard punches to the back and sides before the four-armed monster turned to face him. He dodged away from the upper arms only to take a two hit combination from the lower pair straight to the chest.

Neither opponent let up throwing everything they had into the fight. After another thirty minutes both were gasping, visibly tired and covered with injuries.

Ranma was having the worst of it now. His opponent was simply a little too durable, and was slowly grinding him down. Ranma's entire body was a black and blue mark interspersed with charred sections with several worse injuries besides. Ranma's right arm was a mass of broken bones from the shoulder down, and it took an effort of will to move it at all. His left eye and side of his face were a bloody mess, and he had at least three shattered ribs and his left collarbone was probably broken as well.

He jumped back to another ledge to get some distance between them, and thankfully his opponent was willing to let him go.

Winlifion could not remember when his body last hurt so much. Two of his arms were useless, one deadened from the shoulder down. The other's elbow had literally shattered under the force of the human's punches, and the bone had exploded, sending shards bursting out through his skin. His body was covered in welts and bruises, and his leg was almost useless now. As he had feared Ranma had targeted it several more times, and now the leg was barely able to keep him upright, let alone fight.

Ranma gulped in air, blocking out the pain of his body as he prepared what he knew would be his last attack. He concentrated, gathering his ki, filling one hand with extreme heat, the other with extreme cold.

Winlifion looked on in puzzlement as his senses told him his opponent was slowly changing the atmosphere about him, though he could detect no magical energy, just the human's dwindling (yet still amazing) life force. _What is the youth up to now?_

Ranma groaned between clenched teeth. His ki reserves, even with the work he had put into them were draining away. This would be his last, best shot to end the fight.

"Dragons Roar!" The cry came out more as a scream as Ranma forced his ruined arm to respond, bringing the cold infused fist into the spiral of heat the other fist had created.

A huge vertical cyclone burst forth from his fists, shooting forward from his ledge to engulf his opponent on the plateau. The green scaled warrior was buffeted by hurricane force winds smashing him to and fro. He tried to escape, to get away, but the cyclone was too powerful in his weakened state.

For a full minute Ranma fed the cyclone before his ki level dropped too much for him to hold it. With a last spiral of air, the cyclone dissipated, dropping his opponent heavily to the rocks below.

Ranma watched for a few seconds, falling to his hands and knees. _That was it, my last gasp. Got nothin' left, can't even move. But at least…_ His opponent stirred, getting awkwardly to its feet, but one of its legs gave out, and it fell back. Again the beast moved, and this time was able to use the side of the cavern to haul itself up. _No way, not even Saffron or Happosai could have…_ The thing began to pull itself along the wall towards him and Ranma tried to rise, only for his body to give out at last. He collapsed face first into the dirt, exhausted in body and spirit.

Winlifion heaved a sigh of relief as the human finally collapsed. That last attack whatever it was had been devastating, and obviously a last resort. Windlifion now had only one working arm, and no longer could feel his leg from the knee down. It hurt merely to breath, and something inside him was bleeding, he could feel it. He had been bluffing in his effort to get closer to his enemy, there was no way he could have continued the fight. _Still, I am on mine feet, and the youth lies helpless. A victory. Yet what to do now?_

The lizard turned man leaned against the wall, body screaming in agony as he tried to think through the pain. At last, it came to a decision. Slowly he began to glow with a green light, and his body began to change back into its original form.

* * *

The Diggers sisters and their companions reappeared in an area near the entrance of the city, surrounded by their competitors. "WELCOME TO THE OTHER SIDE!" Penny intoned in a sepulchral voice. Gina shivered and Penny grinned. "Got you Gina, you are so gullible sometimes!"

Brit stood up and looked around them as Gina got her heart back under control. "What the heck?"

Penny gestured around them. "It seems that those flashing lights weren't trying to kill us, they were just removing us. Look over there." She pointed down the passage leading deeper into the city and Gina turned, seeing a shimmering in the air of the caver. "Some kind of negative ion field is now blocking every passageway further into the city. Still at least my trip is paid for and then some thanks to Charlotte and this big jewel. You guys were the last to be deported. The only one still unaccounted for is that new guy you brought along."

Brit screamed "What, you mean Ranma's still in there, what the hell!?"

Gina nodded. "We have to do something to get him out of there. If only I'd brought my remote force teleporter!"

Galford looked at them from where he was standing between Lord Talon and the others. At their back Ionis and Zelda were sharing a joke at their diminutive employers expense concerning his response to the lizards abrupt appearance. "Surely the youth is dead by now. I respect his bravery, but even one of his seeming skill would have no chance against a beast that size."

Ryan pulled Gina to him in a comforting hug 'accidentally' letting his hand come to rest on her ass. "Yeah Gina. The kid was gutsy, taking on that snake thing to give us time to escape but there's no way he could have survived for long."

Brit grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him off the ground face a mask of anger and panic. "Then we damn well get back in there and find him or his body. I'm not going home to my sister or Kasumi and Nabiki without something to show them!"

The twins gasped pointing back into the city. "Look!"

Everyone, even Erwin and his group turned. The Wyrm was coming toward them its body much smaller than it had been, presumably to move around in the outer city easier.

Those watching it had several thoughts at the sight. _Jinkies, it must be able to change its size at will, I wonder what its metabolism is like?_

_Ah snake!_

_Fascinating a being able to shrink or grow at will, perhaps also change shape and nature. Its DNA would be an amazing find._

Anticipating an attack the fighters all moved forward with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Hurtbot 28 strode forward, centering their line while Zelda had to be pushed forward by Ionis and even then only moved when Erwin threatened to cut her off from his genetic stabilizers. Brit grimly cracked her knuckles. If the thing wanted a fight, she was going to give it to him. _No way am I leaving Ranma in there._ Galford merely waited, and Ryan was wondering which of his kick ass moves would work best on a giant lizard.

As the snake came closer however, it became obvious that it was in no condition to fight them. The adventurers all gasped as they saw how beaten up it was. While none of the wounds were life threatening alone the total was horrendous and the snake was obviously badly wounded. It twitched spasmodically, and seemed to have trouble moving, its skin was blistered, torn and bleeding practically everywhere, and two of its four eyes were clouded with blood.

"Christ, what the hell happened to it?" Ryan whispered to Gina. The others were all wondering the same thing.

Brit wordlessly pointed behind the snake.

Three of the flying lights that had evicted them were hovering over the ground, levitating Ranma's limp form between them.

The snake paused a good body span way from the negative energy field, and the wisps moved forward. They tossed Ranma through and he fell to the ground in front of the various groups.

Brit was the first to move, followed closely by Genn and Gina. Everyone else looked on as the three rapidly diagnosed Ranma's health and injuries. "He's alive," was the only positive thing they had to say.

All three were surprised when Ranma opened his eyes. With a thought, he changed into his werecat form, and all his less serious injuries faded slightly. Changing to werecat always gave his healing a boost and thankfully this time the smell of blood overrode his pheromones. He got to his feet, pushing Genn and Brit's restraining hands gently, teeth clenched in pain. Once on his feet he turned, looking back into the city at the lizard, who stared back at him.

Ranma sighed, his body was nowhere near ready for more action, but he had promised. "Anyone who took treasure or anythin' from the inner city, throw it back in."

Everyone exploded at this. Penny shouted "What the fuck? We found this jewel, and we got it out of there, it mine!"

Gina looked at Ranma's serious expression and wordlessly reached into her pocket, producing a tiny gem. With a heave, she threw it through the energy field to land on the other side. A wisp swooped in and picked it up, hurrying away.

Ranma glared at Penny. "This city ain't abandoned and that jewel's got an owner. Are you an archeologist or a thief?"

Penny flinched at the raw contempt in his voice and was about to shoot back angrily when Charlotte touched her shoulder gently. Penny turned and looked at the harpy, who shook her head. After a moment Penny sighed and nodded. "Charlotte, could you throw this back please?"

Lendo and Erwin both moved to stop her, but were blocked by the twins and Brit. The twins hadn't come here looking for treasure in any case, and hoped that by returning what was stolen they could come back later. Brit didn't know what was going on, but she and her sister had never taken treasure from other people, and weren't about to start now. _Even if the person in question is a monstrous lizard thing._ Ryan stood to one side shaking his head at their stupidity but making no move to stop it.

Charlotte heaved the giant diamond through the field as the lizard looked on. Ranma gazed back at it. After a moment the lizard nodded its head. "Come back when thou art able to get through mine wards under thy own powers. I will welcome thee and thy companions, young king, so long as thou comest for knowledge and not paltry riches." With that, it slid off leaving the adventurers dumbfounded.

Ranma smiled and promptly collapsed back onto the ground unconscious.

* * *

end chapter. Hope you all like the action. The Wyrm and his city will be showing up again later. I always found it odd they never tried to go back there.


	8. Chapter 7 money matters

I don't on the horse or the kittens.

See my profile for the whole adding Brittany thing, sorry to those of you who wanted her to be part of the group. If you really want her in, send me some pms and convince me before the Aebran arc. Now sit back and read as Gina learns first hand that Ranma really does attract trouble and we find out how a few of the NWC are doing.

h

g

**Chapter 7 Money issues:**

Kasumi, Nabiki and Brianna sat around the table eating lunch. With the others gone and only Kasumi being a morning person, the communal breakfast had been replaced by a similar lunch. Kasumi still woke up early, but it was more out of habit than joy without Ranma there. Her time with him in the morning, watching the sun rise before anyone else was awake and simply being alone together had become her most treasured ritual and it had taken her a few days to get over her funk at his absence but Brianna and Nabiki hadn't noticed due to their not being morning people. They were also feeling a bit put out by his absence, planned though it had been. Still at these meals they put aside their funk to interact with eachother.

Brianna sat, talking excitedly about her newest bit-bomb design, which she called Peebos. The others were not as interested in weapons of mass destruction as she was, but listened politely. Kasumi thought the design was cute, and wanted to know if she could have one as a pet, with the explosive removed of course. Nabiki thought the idea was much more marketable than most of Gina's experiments. After all, the U.S. was using unmanned aircraft and drones to search for Bin Laden. If the peebos could be targeted on a single individual they would be perfect for hunting him down as well as other terrorist threats.

"By the way, have either of you noticed Gina's hurtbots acting strange? Hurtz seems to be acting especially weird." Brianna asked.

Nabiki smirked. "Weird how, exactly? Bear in mind that only you three seem to think that having androids in the house in the first place isn't weird, so saying to us they're acting weird is sort of like asking if Ranma's father screwed his life over more before or after puberty."

"After." Brianna and Kasumi chorused and then laughed. All of the Diggers residents had thought about ways to pay Genma back for what he did to Ranma. Now the three girls spent a few minutes discussing their own imaginary plans for the fat man.

Brianna's idea of using Gina's first faulty teleporter to disassemble him on the genetic level was interesting, but Kasumi's idea was easily the most elegant. "Simply lock him in panda form, use the moxibustion weakness technique, and send him back to China. After all, pandas are an endangered species, and we should do all we can to help keep them going."

Nabiki and Brianna stared at her, before bursting out in laughter at the suggestion. Half a world away, Genma shivered and came out of his bed (having moved into Nabiki's room, now that it was unoccupied) in a fighting stance looking around wildly for the source of the dread and terror he just felt.

Brianna wiped tears of merriment from her eyes before returning to the previous topic. "Seriously though, the hurtbots have been acting really strange, especially Hurtz. One of them is always doing something around the house, and they aren't programmed to do that. I caught a few of them downloading cleaning subroutines that I didn't even know we had! Then there's Hurtz. No hurtbot is supposed to be able to add to his combat programming or even change his designation without Gina's permission. Hurtz has done both. He's about fifteen times more dangerous now than he was when he started sparring with Ranma. Gina and I are worried about how… how…"

"Alive," Kasumi spoke firmly. "Hurtz and the others are alive. They may be created like a simple device, but they are able to think and grow and are thus alive."

Brianna looked startled at the thought, but after a moments contemplation, she nodded agreement and dropped the subject. After all, she had begun to think of her peebos as alive, why not the larger androids? Both girls turned back to their food for a moment, before Brianna spoke again. "By the way Nabiki, you seemed a little angry a few days ago, is there a problem?"

Nabiki smiled thinly, and Brianna could almost feel the chill coming off the younger woman. "Oh that, yes there's a problem all right. But I'll talk to all three of you at the same time about that."

Brianna was about to question her further when all three girls heard the noise of a car rumbling into the underground garage. "Speak of the devil!"

Kasumi rose smoothly before going into the kitchen to prepare more food as Nabiki smiled thinly and walked to her room. She had some printouts she had to get. Brianna also left the table, heading downstairs to greet the returning adventurers. She could hear their voices before she entered the garage.

"I'm telling you I'm fine Gina. I'll heal on my own."

"I don't care what you say, Ranma. You're getting into my rejuvenation chamber right now!"

Brianna opened the door quickly and stepped into the large garage. She stopped appalled at the sight that greeted her.

Ranma was covered head to toe in bandages. His head and face was half obscured by bloody bandages, which covered one of his eyes. His right arm was in a full cast from the shoulder down held tight to his body. His body was also in a cast. Brianna took in the horrible sight for a moment then her head tracked left to lock onto her sisters like a gun turret, face rigid with anger.

Gina and Brittany backed away slowly from their little sister hands held out placatingly. "Now Brianna, just calm down and take a deep breath."

Before Brianna could start in on her sisters Ranma spoke, shrugging as much as his wounds could allow. "Like I've been saying for the past** six hours**, I made my choice, had a great fight, and bodyguarded. Ain't no one's fault, it just happened. And I don't need no help, I can heal just fine on my own."

Forgetting her anger at her sisters Brianna joined the protests as Ranma stumped stubbornly forward.

Kasumi met them halfway and her welcoming smile turned into a gasp of worry as she rushed forward. "Ranma my goodness what happened to you?"

"It's nothing Kas-chan, I got into a fight is all. I'll heal up quick." He appeared ready to bolt for some reason, despite being surrounded by the Kasumi and three sisters, who filled her in on their argument.

Kasumi looked at his stubborn face, but unlike the Diggers sisters she saw deeper than his machismo or ego based stubbornness. With that special empathy she had she saw deep inside him and realized something more.

Her friend, her love, was afraid, and she knew why. Back in Nerima if Ranma was injured at all Soun and the Great Fat Evil would belittle him in every way, thinking he was weak and dishonorable for no reason other than he was injured. More often than not Akane would join in, even if she was the reason for his injury. His rivals and fiancées would all clamor in, either using his injury against him or trying to coerce him by offering help.

_Ranma's afraid his injury will start that cycle again._ Kasumi simply smiled her serene smile, reaching out a gentle hand to Ranma's cheek. She could feel his muscles trembling under her hand. "Ranma, we're not in Nerima anymore. No one here will take advantage of you or think less of you for being injured. We all love and care for you and want to help. So please, go with Gina to this rejuvenation thing of hers, please?"

Gina and the others blinked at the idea, and then all chorused agreement. Brianna hugged Ranmas uninjured arm, kissing his check as Brit threw a friendly arm over his shoulders, accidentally pressing her breasts into his side. Gina would have joined them but there was no other uninjured area of his body left to latch onto.

Ranma looked at the girls around him, their sincere and caring faces showing they meant it and none of the contempt or anger he was used to seeing when he was injured, only concern. He stood there for a few moments before bolting back into the garage. Before everyone else could follow, Ranma came back with an empty water bottle and in his female form. The other girls blinked as they saw tears streaking the redheads face. "Guys ain't supposed to cry." She blubbered. "Thanks, I, this is really, I've never, people never…" her voice subsided into a blubber.

The diggers sisters looked on, again surprised and wondering why Ranma was reacting like this to what they saw as basic kindness.

Kasumi on the other hand, simply hugged the shorter girl to her compassionately. After a few minutes of sniffling, she docilely followed Gina and Brianna down into the lab.

Brittany looked at Kasumi as they walked back up to the dining room. "Kasumi what was that about?"

Kasumi smiled gently, though it was not reflected in her eyes. "Perhaps we can tell you later. We have really only told you a bit of what Ranma went through back in Nerima." She sighed heavily. "Nabiki and I tried to lessen it, each in our own way, but we failed more often than not. Even then, that was only after he arrived at our house. His father is the most abusive, sadistic, evil individual I have ever met, not only physically as Nabiki told you, but emotionally and mentally."

Brittany looked at her, shivering at the look of utter loathing in the normally gentle girl's eyes.

* * *

Below them, Ranma stood before Gina's regeneration tank, looking at the futuristic device askance. "Are you sure about this?"

Gina nodded, holding out a glass of hot water. "Yep, its been tested before. You need to be in the form you took the injuries though." Ranma nodded naively, not noticing her lecherous grin. "Now, strip."

"What?!"

Gina tried to smile innocently, but failed miserably. "Clothing interferes in the initial scan and in the healing process."

Ranma swallowed at her grin, but started to take his clothing off slowly. He stopped as Brianna sat down next to Gina at the table. Both girls were watching his every move with wide eager eyes. "You sure I need ta take everythin' off?"

Gina nodded solemnly, while behind his back Brianna slipped a new recording disk into the computer.

Ranma gave a sigh and shucked off his pants before turning and taking off his boxers. He could feel the girl's eyes on him as he entered the tank, taking the re-breather with him still moving gingerly from his wounds. Instincts hardwired during his time in Nerima were screaming at him to escape before the hammer could fall, but he fought them down again. It was becoming easier every time.

Brianna slumped in dismay as Ranma used his uninjured arm to keep his back to them, not that the view wasn't hot, it just wasn't what she wanted to see. Gina whispered in her ear conspiratorially. "Don't worry the cameras cover 360 degrees. Turn it to camera four."

Brianna did so and the two inventors looked and gulped. Brianna felt a shot of pure desire hit her as Gina gaped, flushing bright red. "Are, are you sure he's only 18? I mean I've never seen such a huge"

"Ahem." The two Diggers girls turned to see Brit and Kasumi standing in the doorway. Kasumi actually had a full blown frown on her face, which would have sent any native Nerimite running for the hills. "I'm certain that Ranma would prefer some privacy." Brit nodded, though both girls did glance into the lab at Ranma's naked from. Brit again had to fight her hormones for a moment her feelings for Strype helping her fight them off. Kasumi had a harder time of it, but this did not show on her face as she turned to Briana and Gina.

Gina nodded reluctantly in the face of The Frown. "Alright Ranma, we're going to leave you alone now. The computer says you need to stay in there for five hours or so." Ranma grimaced to himself, but waggled his uninjured arm in reply. "You want to listen to some music or something?"

Kasumi smiled. "I believe Ranma would like to watch some anime if possible. He likes One Piece or Gintama, whichever you have."

Ranma waved his hand enthusiastically. _Thank you Kasumi!_ If he had to be in here for that long, at least he would have something to watch.

Gina nodded, and pushed a few buttons. A TV descended from the ceiling and with another button, Briana's One Piece episodes began to play from the beginning.

Brit led her sisters out of the lab. "Nabiki wants to talk to us upstairs. She isn't happy about something, and wanted to talk to all of us at once."

Kasumi left them and began her cleaning for the day starting in the garage.

* * *

Nabiki sat, her back straight and her face forbidding in the living room. The Diggers sisters felt the cold emanating from her as if it was a primal force. Each girl looked at Nabiki in trepidation.

"Sit down, girls." The three sisters sat across from her on the sofa, looking at each other. They were all privately wondering how a younger girl was actually intimidating them so badly without even threatening them, and were worried about what could have caused this reaction from her. Gina feared she had an idea, but the other two were clueless at the moment.

"If you remember, before you went off on your latest adventure, Gina gave me permission to look over all your finances and assets, not just your patents and stocks. Suffice to say we had a problem." Her audience stiffened as one. "For the past few days I have been working on your savings and finances. I can tell you right now, that without me you all would be broke and filing for bankruptcy. As it is, you're just broke."

Gina's eyes widened in shock and Brianna slumped in both relief and fear. Brit had the most adverse reaction. Her hair stood on end, and she looked as if she had stepped on a live wire.

Nabiki smiled at their reactions, still putting off waves of cold. "Aren't you glad I told you to sit down?" Brit nodded, her face still shocked.

Gina spoke up. "Wait a minute even if we have no money coming in and all, we should still have our emergency fund."

"No you don't" "No, we don't" Nabiki and Brit spoke at the same time.

Gina and Brianna shared a glance. "Oh no she didn"t."

"Yes I did." Brit said in a small voice, scrunching down into the sofa.

"BRITTANY! You used the emergency fund!" Both her sisters yelled.

"I'm sorry okay I was a little short my last shopping trip and I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't pay the rent!" Gina yelled.

"I know!" The werecheetah wailed. "You're right, I never do anything but go on your adventures with you so I don't feel guilty about spending the loot, I always spend too much, I always eat too much, I never bring in any money, I'm just a burden!"

She sniffled, and Gina and Brianna both sighed guiltily. "Jinkies, I didn't mean to yell Brittany, you're not a burden, and I would have died several dozen times over without you there to protect me." Brit sniffled again but stopped crying and nodded.

"That's enough girls. Nabiki spoke up, ending as she put it in her head the 'pity party'. "Anyway, from what I was able to tell, some of this dates back to two, maybe even three years ago. An IRS audit of your back taxes came up, and they were preparing to do a chapter 7 on you. With that going on, they seized and froze your finances, and you bounced nearly 3 billion in checks." As Nabiki spoke, part of her was still amazed they were talking about such a huge amount of money, the rest of her was just pissed that it was nearly taken away. "Luckily I caught it in time, and was able to point out several discrepancies to the IRS, and also found the beginning of the audit."

At their surprised looks, Nabiki smiled a shark's grin. "I told you when we arrived here girls I'm just as good at gathering information and intelligence as I am at manipulating money. Frankly a lot of it seems to be a personal assault on you. I was able to point that out, and the fact that the IRS agent who began the process has disappeared, had no real background and not even a picture in their computer records to prove he ever existed. Now the IRS is busy trying to cover its own ass. I don't know why but your father is a big name in certain circles in the government, and they are going to lose a lot of face being used as a tool in a personal assault on his daughters, who have also become big names in the tech industry." Gina smiled with relief, and her sisters followed suit.

"They are still looking into who is behind the attack, as am I. In the meantime, we have next to no spending money. The IRS released our monies, but the creditors took most of it to address the previously bounced checks. What little liquid assets the family does have is going to go into the emergency fund again" she glared at Brit. She looked on monetary stupidity very dimly, having had to deal with it for so long in Nerima, "and the rest is going to be spent on food, stocking up as much as possible. I have a few ideas of how we can raise some money, but I don't think any of you are going to like them."

Brianna answered for them. "Lay it on us Nabiki. What have you got?"

"Well, the first and easiest is to go out right away and find some more treasure on another adventure. Or find someone who is willing to finance you for a time."

Brianna leaned back thoughtfully, but Gina shook her head, turning away from the still sorrowful Brit. "We don't have any new expeditions planned. These things take time and luck they don't just happen. Besides, we were planning to take a month long break to gear up to Brits wedding. I don't know anyone rich who'd be willing to finance us. If our parents were here, they might forward us some money, but not a lot, and we can't contact them right now anyway."

"Another idea is to forward a few more patents and gimmicks to diverse industrial companies or to the military. I'm a little leery of that, because I think it was the initial attack vector used by whoever is behind the attack on you. The other way is to sell some property. I don't suppose you brought back anything valuable from this recent ecxcrusion?"

"What kind of property?" Brianna asked as her sisters both she their heads, "And how would we do it? Some kind of yard sale?"

Nabiki smirked, and pushed over one more printout. "A yard sale Brianna? Really? Anyway here are the prices we would get from selling some of your clothing Brianna. The one below that is a list of prices we could expect from selling Gina's Magik cards, and the one below that, the largest one is for selling Brit's collection of purses. I would sell most of them through Ebay or other online dealers. We could easily make up a decent amount of the money lost that way."

All three girls shot out of their seat and at the Japanese girl, who calmly activated a force field she had 'borrowed' from Gina's lab for this very purpose. Cheetah immediately tried to break her out of there, while Gina and Brianna simply shouted at her.

After letting this go on for a bit, Nabiki let her smirk drop and stood up, glaring at them with all the coldness of Nerima's ice queen. "I have told you my ideas. If any of you have better ones, feel free to put them forward. I think you need to consider what is more important, your possessions or your continued adventuring and way of life." With that she left the sisters to discuss it among themselves. Behind her the Diggers sisters looked at each other helplessly.

* * *

A few hours later found Gina and Brit sitting out in their lawn on lawn chairs, still thinking. Neither of them had thought up anything to add to Nabiki's ideas and they were getting worried.

"I still can't believe she wants me to sell my purses and shoes. Does she have no soul?"

"Shoes-shmues (good pun by the way), I can't believe she thinks we should sell my Magik cards. Do you have any idea how long it took me to collect them?"

The two were interrupted by the sound of a car coming up their driveway. Gina looked up and started to panic, seeing who was pulling up. "No, not you, anyone but you!"

Penny Pincer got out of her car, smirking evilly at her rival. "Heh. So, having monetary difficulties are we?"

"Penny, just the one person I prayed wouldn't show up today," Gina gritted out between clenched teeth glaring at her rival.

Before either could say anything more Nabiki and Kasumi came out of the house wondering who the guest was. Behind them, Brianna secretly hid her phone away, wiping her brow. _I hope this works_. Brit spotted her and winked conspiratorially.

Ace got out of the other side of the car, moving to stand by Penny. "Don't be like that Gina. We both heard about your troubles, and we're here to help, don't worry about my girl giving you gripe about it. She's here to help too."

Nabiki looked at Penny quizzically. "Help how exactly? I'm Nabiki by the way, and this is my sister Kasumi. We're living with the Diggers now and I'm the one that's taken over handling finances."

Penny looked at her in respect. "So you're the one that has the IRS doing conniptions trying to cover its own ass. You go girl. As to how I'm willing to help, I'll pay off your ongoing expenses for a month and fund some of your experiments." She turned back to Gina. "I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I think it's time we put this silly little feud behind us. When Kevin called me about this, I knew it was the perfect time to make amends."

Kasumi walked forward, bowing slightly in the Japanese manner. "Won't you all come inside? I have prepared an early dinner and you can both join us."

Brit grabbed Ace's arm and dragged him and Penny inside. "Trust me, a Kasumi made meal is not something you want to miss."

Ace went willingly, and Penny went with him. Both were very surprised that the young Asian woman was able to produce such a simple yet strangely delicious meal (spaghetti with chicken parmesan or salmon and a salad). During the meal Brianna filled them in on who Nabiki and Kasumi were, as well as their relation to Ranma, who Penny had been very curious about after the adventure in Antarctica.

Putting down her fork, Gina wiped her mouth delicately with a napkin. "That was another amazing meal Kasumi. Thank you very much." Kasumi smiled in pleasure as the others, including Ace and Penny chimed in. Gina turned to Penny. "Now that the meal is over and I've had time to think about your offer Penny, what's the catch?"

Penny shrugged, putting down her own napkin and smiling. The meal had put her in a very good mood. It had been a long time since she enjoyed a good home cooked meal that she didn't have to cook herself. "Well, I've got a bit of a problem. See, my domineering body building Aunt Rose called me this morning and told me my cousin Monique was in bed with a cold. She basically ordered me to fill in for her at her part time job… at Taco-Hut."

"Wait," Gina was horrified, "You don't mean you want me to work there for you?"

Penny grinned evilly. "You got it blondie. You see I want to end our feud, but I also want to get in the last wedgie!"

* * *

"Are you sure about this Gina?" Ranma-chan stood in a Taco Hut uniform, shaking her head wearily.

Gina smirked at the short redhead. She always enjoyed being around someone who was her size, even if sharing bras with the girl was sometimes irritating. Ranma refused to wear anything but her most plain sports bras and she had very few of those. "You said you worked in two restaurants back in Nerima off and on right, well we need that experience."

Ranma had come out of the rejuvenation tank bored out of his mind. To the hyperactive young man being stationary that long was sheer torture even with a TV to watch so he had jumped at the chance to get out and do something, only later realizing what he had signed up for.

Brit stood next to her sister, dressed in the same uniform as the smaller girls. "I agree with you Gina, but why do all **three** of us have to go?"

"Because neither of us have any experience or training, it'll take at least three of us to fill in for one person who actually knew what she was doing."

Brit nodded but Ranma-chan shook her head. "That ain't what I'm talking about. I mean bringing me along at all."

Gina looked at him in amusement. "You still talking about the Ranma-chaos-crap factor? I told you luck is simply that, it's unscientific to think you can affect the probability of random events in their surroundings, and I've never heard or read about any magic that can create a effect like that."

"What's that, this is the first I've heard of it." Brit asked, her catlike features very good at conveying curiosity.

Ranma-chan sighed. "Look, every time I'm involved in anythin' things happen. I've kept a low profile here, and we left and went right to and from the dig with no stopovers. This'll be the first time I'm out and about and somethin' will happen. There's no way it won't, my life just works like that."

Gina giggled. "Don't worry Ranma, I'm certain that was more because of the rest of the stuff you had to deal with in Nerima. You're far away from all of that now."

"Famous last words," Ranma-chan muttered.

"Besides," Brittany said "maybe you used up all of your bad luck having to fight that giant snake. If that wasn't bad luck, I don't know what is." Ranma-chan shook her head wordlessly. "Oh? Then what the heck was it?"

Ranma-chan grinned, an almost feral light gleaming in her eyes. "A damn good fight." The look on her face made the Digger sisters shiver a little, and the three stopped talking

* * *

"Would you like fries with that sir?" Gina said, smiling fixedly. Behind her Brit worked at the fryer with Ranma-chan-chan calmly showing her how. While a fryer had never been a part of the Cat Café's or Ukyo's kitchen he had figured it out relatively quickly.

"I'd like a date more than fries, babe." The lank haired college student drawled, reaching forward to grab her hand.

Ranma-chan came up just then taking her place at the register. "The manager wants ta talk ta you Gina. I got this."

Gina nodded and the college student and his friends all switched targets to the stacked redhead, but Ranma-chan ignored them, not even acknowledging their flirting. She simply took their orders, and when they tried to get grabby moved her hands out of their way quickly.

Gina came back from talking to the damn teenage bitch of a manager who had told her she was going on break. It was so late that the place was pretty empty of both employees and customers, save a few college students and one family sitting at a booth. She knew that was going to change though as more of the night classes at the local college let out. _I'm just glad Ranma-chan was able to show Brit how to use the fryer without killing herself._

Back at the registers, she relieved a quietly seething Ranma-chan. "Are you okay?" She asked as the redhead passed her.

"I'll be fine I just never knew guys were so perverted. I thought the boys back in Nerima were bad but they don't hold a candle to these jerks. Some of the stuff they were saying… Maybe 'kane had a point about most men being perverts."

Gina blinked at hearing a boy, albeit one in a girl's body at the moment, say that. "Well, I can't say they're the worst I've dealt with. Don't worry, I'll handle it up here."

Ranma-chan nodded gratefully and moved into the back. Gina shook her head. _Maybe I shouldn't point out that much of Brianna's and my flirting with him would be considered a little too forward and perverted by most, not even considering his own relationship with the Tendo girls and Brianna._ She pushed that thought from her mind and once more put on her fixed smile as she manned the register.

For the next two hours she dealt with various customers, including several former classmates and one irritating professor. This however was merely the beginning of her night.

Near the end of their shift Ryan walked in, followed by a blond who was obviously intent on hitting on the adventurer, who was in turn followed by an Asian girl with short curly black hair done up in a ponytail.

* * *

Kodachi Kuno was initially ambivalent about leaving Nerima to go to college in the U.S. However, she had received a full scholarship from the University of Atlanta in botany for her work with roses and other plants. Having Olympic level gymnastic skill but no wish to compete at that level, Kodachi had decided it was the best course for her.

Her Ranma-sama had also shown no sign of becoming closer to her or any of her rivals, and she had decided, after a long time soul searching, to give him up. She left, intent on cutting all ties with her insane family for the duration of her college years and had not contacted them since. After a few months living in America however, she was regretting that decision. None of the males in the university, students or teachers, were up to her standards.

She had reluctantly agreed to go out with Kate, a friend she had made in the gymnastics club who had a similar mindset to her own, to 'troll' for boys. She did not really think the pickings would improve and had been proven correct for the most part. The red haired bodybuilder that her friend had spotted was easily the cream of the crop. _Pity that Kate spotted him first. His taste in eateries leaves much to be desired though_. Kate did not care as much about such things as she herself did however and the two girls followed him into Taco-Hut.

Gina groaned as Ryan came to the front of the line. She quickly turned away, hoping that the manager had come back. No such luck.

Ryan blinked in shock staring at her backside. "I'd know those buns anywhere. Gina, what're you doing here?"

Gina sighed and turned to face her on again off again beau. "Welcome to Taco Hut sir, may I take your order?" She ground out.

Ryan gaped at her. "Girl, I heard you were having some problems with cash, but I had no idea they were this bad. Come on, let old Ryan help you."

"No can do Ryan. This is something I have to do to get Penny to back us up. And I want to end our rivalry and putting up with this is the price for doing that."

The blond that had followed Ryan in took this opportunity to grab his arm. "Come on honey, the grease girl obviously doesn't want to talk to you. Why don't you spend time with someone of a little more refinement."

Gina looked on in amusement as Ryan tried to get the girl off his arm. Behind her, Ranma-chan came up with another order of food. "That was one small soda, one large taco special, and two large fries. Thank you, come again." Ranma-chan looked up, and that was when the shit hit the fan.

* * *

Kodachi stared in surprise at seeing her nemesis here of all places. She began to laugh in her crazy manner as she spun around, taking off her rather plain jeans and blouse combo. She stood there in her leotard waving her cloth ribbon around maniacally. She spoke in English, having gotten into the habit over the past five months "HoHHOhohohoh! Pigtailed girl, what a wonder to see you here. Yet even if you are working in a place befitting your station now, I cannot believe you would have given up your control of my Ranma-chan Saotome-sama. Tell me where he is so I can free him from your clutches."

* * *

A large man dressed in army off duty fatigues and with a huge cru cut looked up sharply from where he was entering the restaurant at the name Saotome. He and six others of them looking like bodybuilding rejects and all dressed in the same green fatigue pants and muscle T's moved purposefully toward the counter.

* * *

Ranma-chan sighed as Ryan looked at the stacked redhead and the crazy brunette with wonder and quite a bit of appreciation. Their bodies were incredible, as good as Gina's and the leotard the brunette wore left very little to the imagination.

Ranma-chan muttered out of the side of her mouth to Gina. "Told you so." She jumped over the counter, throwing off her apron, to stand across from Kodachi as the blond moved to stand next to her, divesting herself of her own clothing and pulling out a pair of batons. "Look Kodachi, we're not back in Nerima, and this is a public place. Can't we talk about this? And just so you know, Ranma don't want nothin' to do with you, he moved on from everyone in Nerima, and last I looked that includes your crazy ass."

Gina winced at her friend's blunt speech. _Tact, must remember to get Séance and the others to help me teach Ranma tact. _Behind her Cheetah left the fryer, coming forward to watch the action. This looked to be way better than another hour of fast food service boredom.

Kodachi spluttered in indignation. "Why you little harlot, how dare you! I will free my Ranma-sama from your clutches and from anyone else who has ensnared his innocent mind!" She flung her ribbon forward and Ranma-chan leaped to meet her attack.

Ryan stepped forward to help the hot redhead. He didn't recognize her, but she was obviously a friend of Gina's and saving her would give him points with both of them. _ Though why the crazy girl's interested in that shrimp is beyond me. That lizard must have been a lot weaker than he looked._

He stopped surprised as Ranma-chan easily dodged both Kodachi's attacks and Kate's batons. A second later both girls had been smacked backwards.

Ranma-chan leapt forward to finish the fight quickly but was interrupted by the cru-cut blond moving forward between them. "Do you know where Ranma Saotome is?"

Ranma-chan shrugged. "Yeah, so what. I gotta tell ya, if you got a problem with him, you got a problem with me."

The large man nodded, smiling evilly. "In that case, I am Guido Demark, master of the Sound Scream martial arts style. I must avenge my father's defeat at the hands of Genma by defeating his son in battle." He took a stance, not underestimating the redhead in front of him. "Tell me where Ranma-chan is little girl, or pay the consequences."

Ranma-chan glared and moved forward in a blur. Her fist smacked into Guido's stomach twenty times in under a second before she moved back, allowing the blond man to fall to his knees, gasping in pain. "I ain't a little girl, and I accept your challenge, idiot!"

Guido got to his feet awkwardly as his fellows moved forward, attacking Ranma-chan en masse. Behind them, Kodachi and Kate also jumped into the melee.

Brit bounced over the table as several other customers ran for the door. "All right, time to party!"

Gina wrung her hands in horror, trying to shout out over the din of battle as Ryan also joined in the fight.

* * *

"Penny, girl I'm proud of you. You had all those strangers waiting to follow you to Taco Hut and you didn't go through with it."

Penny sighed. "Don't be silly Kevin. I was only going to go through with it to really put in the screws on Gina one last time. They're all still on my speed dial if she isn't sincere about ending our rivalry."

Ace shook his head. "Don't worry about that yo. Gina's many things, but a liar or a quitter she ain't." He held the cars door open for his girlfriend as the sound of breaking glass reached their ears. A small flash of light smashed through another window, and out into the night sky.

Penny paled and the two ran forward.

* * *

Ranma-chan ducked and dodged in the center of the growing melee, occasionally lashing out to protect Cheetah from someone Brit let get behind her and keeping the few remaining bystanders from getting hit by any of the participants. The sound scream followers were just not fast enough to hit him. She was allowing the fight to go on because their school had an interesting ki attack she wanted to study.

The warriors would gather a small amount of ki in their arms and then slash both arms forward from behind their backs as quickly as they could. Their ki enhanced speed would only last a second, but it pushed into the air somehow, making the air move faster than it would otherwise, forming a oval shaped wave which then shot forward with a noticeable tearing sound. Ryan had been hit by three of them and put out of the fight, and they had messed up a lot of the restaurant. It reminded Ranma-chan of the kijin Raishin dan or the Neko-ken's claws yet wasn't based on vacuum blades but sound and air pressure and was far less deadly therefore more applicable to normal fights.

Ranma-chan stopped playing around when she saw Kodachi, who had also been taking care to not involve the bystanders, go down, knocked to the ground by a spin kick to her shoulder. Another sound scream warrior sent off his sonic scream at her former position, right at a little boy, who had hid under a table with his father and mother.

Ranma-chan leapt forward, hands filled with ki allowing him to block the shot harmlessly. "That's it!" She roared. Everyone gasped as Ranma-chan literally began to glow like a white dwarf star in anger. "You fucking pissants! We're martial artists, our duty is to protect the weak, not endanger them! This ends now!"

Ranma-chan leapt forward, moving with purpose now as she dismantled the sound scream warriors and disarmed the two gymnasts. Neither of them put up much of a fight, simply sitting down on the floor as she shredded their weapons.

Guido and his fellow sound scream warriors however tried to fight, but they were no match for Cheetah and a serious Ranma-chan. Before Ace could finish opening the door, the fight was over.

The restaurant was wrecked. Slashes from the sonic screams were everywhere, in the ceiling, floor, and walls and there were more broken windows than whole. The kitchen itself was also totaled, and two sound scream students were laying in it unconscious. Luckily, Brit had the presence of mind (i.e. been drilled by Ranma-chan) and she turned off both the burner and fryer before coming forward.

The newcomers made their way through the refuse on the floor moving over to talk to Gina, who had just poked her head up over the counter. Ace was still looking around in shock. "Damn Gina, what the hell happened here?"

Gina shrugged, staring across at Ranma-chan. "I don't know. That crazy girl in the black leotard suddenly started this insane laugh and attacked Ranma-chan. Then the huge guys joined in, they were the ones who caused most of the damage. Ranma-chan told me about this chaos effect thing, but this is just too weird. Still, we did what you wanted, and I think we just lived through a much more harrowing experience than you planned to end our feud with." She held out her hand. "Friends?"

Penny looked at the outstretched hand for a moment. Slowly she reached into her pocket, took out a cell phone and dropped it to the floor, where she stepped on it, crushing it into pieces. The two girls hugged. "Friends."

Ace looked on smiling before turning to look at Brit who was helping the few bystanders out of the restaurant as Ranma-chan glared at Kodachi and Kate.

Ryan groaned, pushing himself up from where he lay on the floor, taking in the wreckage after the fight before staying still and enjoying the view from behind Ranma-chan.

Ranma-chan was still angry, but she recognized that Kodachi had only started the fight she hadn't really endangered anyone but her fellow combatants. "Okay Kodachi listen up. This ain't Nerima and I don't need to let that insanity start again. I don't want anything to do with you, Ranma-chan don't want anythin' to do with you, and there is no way I want to have this shit happen every time I turn around. So you are going to leave me alone, or I'll really hurt ya."

Kodachi glared up at the shorter girl, but she was forced to concede the point. She had not reckoned with the insane bodybuilders interfering with her challenge. "Let me speak to Ranma-sama myself, and I will promise to leave you personally alone. Until then I will continue my attempts to rescue him from you."

Ranma-chan glared at her but her response was interrupted as Brittany splashed her with a large cup of hot water. "Why don't you just show her?"

He shook his head, trying to clear his eyes from the water, thankful beyond words he was wearing boxers underneath the restaurant's uniform. "Geeze, Brit, warn a guy next time, will ya?"

Kodachi and her friend stared in shock as the magic of Juesnkyo was reversed. Ryan, who had been looking with a smirk at the redhead's fine ass, fainted as she became a he.

Ace and Penny were also shocked but Gina hastily filled them in, as Ranma looked down at Kodachi again. "So ya see why I ain't interested in ya Kodachi . You hate my female body, and you don't really know me more than a pretty face. I've tried to get it through both you and your brother's head several times, but I hated to let anyone know about my curse. Everyone who found out about it used it against me one way or another."

Kodachi nodded slowly, before breaking down into a giggle, which became a full throated laugh. It wasn't her normal laugh, this was a light and happy sound not a mad witch's cackle. The others looked on askance as the greatest gymnast of her generation laughed hard enough to bust a gut. "My, my brother" she gasped "my brother has been chasing a girl who turns into a boy for the last two years as well as a girl who is built like a boy! Ha, perhaps he needs to talk to certain American specialists about his preferences?!"

Ranma and the others who had heard about Tatewaki Kuno joined in while Gina promised to fill in Ace and Penny later.

Kodachi got control of herself after a few more minutes, and she nodded decisively. "Very well Ranma-san. It is true I am not attracted to your other form, and to be with you I would at least have to tolerate it. Moreover your point about not really understanding you is a good one that I can understand now, and I have moved on with my own life since our last meeting. I cannot really see you as you are with your fixation on martial arts and your curse fitting in with my new life. Nor will I tell my brother where you are. Although" Kodachi grinned wickedly, looking the man before her up and down, gaze lingering on the prominent bulge showing through his Taco Hut girl's uniform "it wasn't your face alone that made me pursue you so ardently." She licked her lips and giggled as Ranma jumped back, face bright red. The other girls around him laughed at his reaction and Ace reached over a hand patting the younger man's shoulder commiserating.

Kate nudged her friend, indicating Ryan's still comatose form. Kodachi nodded. "I would be willing to share however. Would it be a problem if my friend and I take that man over there for a time?"

Ranma grinned, noticing that Gina had walked off with Brit and Penny to their cars. Ace looked over at Ryan and grinned as well. "Feel free ladies. Just don't do anything permanent okay?"

Kate nodded, getting up and dragging Ryan to his feet. Kodachi took his other arm. "Oh you may be sure about that. We'll even nurse him back to health. Eventually."

Gina shook her head as Ranma and Ace joined them. "The police are on their way, but they won't bother us. Apparently this Taco Hut was going to be shut down and demolished soon anyway." Ranma nodded. After all, such things happened all the time in Nerima. "Ranma?"

"Yep."

"Next time I ignore your worries about your chaos effect, pinch me."

Ranma sighed glumly. "Yep."

* * *

At the same time Ranma was dealing with Kodachi, other members of the now disbanded Nerima Wrecking crew were contemplating their lives after he had left.

* * *

The Tendo household was a shattered wreck of what had once been, at least to the eyes of those still living there, an honorable and well to do house. Without Nabiki to finance the house or Kasumi to run it the house had fallen swiftly into disrepair and debt. To keep the house Soun had been forced to sell much of the family's belongings and quit drinking cold turkey.

Yet despite this he was on the mend. Seeing his friend Genma arrested, nearly buried under police officers a day after he received the divorce papers his wife had promised had been one strike against his psyche. The next had come from an unexpected source.

Kocho Kuno had seen what his son had done and been horrified beyond belief. None of his gags or attacks were meant to seriously hurt anyone. Humiliate, horrify or inconvenience yes, but never hurt or worse, kill. Immediately after waking up in the hospital he had ordered his son placed in a mental hospital. Tatewaki had tried to fight the doctors who came to take him away, adding even more charges to a growing list that all proved he truly was insane.

Kocho hadn't stopped there, he had paid for every adult involved even a little bit in the craziness of the district to go to a psychologist. Many of them were given medication, including Hinako and several parents who had turned a blind eye to the chaos around them.

Soun hadn't wanted to go at first but it was free and after Genma had been arrested he desperately wanted to talk to someone.

Not only did the psychologist help him beat his drinking habit but he had helped Soun realize that he had fallen into a mental rut, much like his two oldest daughters had realized when they left. He had become used to ignoring the real world and simply going along with whatever Genma said, and always took his little girl's side to the detriment of anyone else. He had ignored Nabiki and Kasumi in favor of Akane, but not even to give her attention, only to spoil her. He wasn't quite well enough to face the entire truth yet but he was getting there.

Akane on the other hand had refused to go to the shrink. The weakness hadn't faded, and she had been forced to stop fighting and lashing out because no oen could feel it if she did. She was still angry, still bitter but no lacked the ability to act out on it except in words, which had gotten a lot worse toward everyone around here. Her two best friends Yuka and Sayuri tried to tough it out but eventually even they didn't want to be around her.

One person, the ladle woman watched this with crowing concern. After watching Akane once more try to lash out against a 'pervert' and fail yet again she frowned, put down her ladle and went inside. Once in her house she ignored the public phone and reached underneath to a secret compartment which opened up to reveal a cell phone and a small device. She placed the device onto the cell phone and after waiting to hear a click she spoke into it. "Agent 050076 reporting on the progress of project Berserker, over."

She waited for a few minutes before a voice, old but cold and authoritative responded. "Report."

"Project berserker in danger of failure. Subject has been afflicted with a weakness technique leaving her utterly useless." The old woman said succinctly, her voice a sharp contrast to her normal kind grandmotherly tones. "Subject still exhibits the anger necessary for the long term plan but without the strength the project has come to a dead end. Subject beta is no longer in the area. There are no clues to its whereabouts."

The other voice didn't respond immediately but when it did it was crisp and decisive. "Initiate pullout. A team will be sent within the week to retrieve the subject. We will go forward with the second option. Control out." And with that the line went dead.

The old woman nodded rose and began to pack what little she wanted to keep from her time in Nerima. Nearly twenty years she had lived here, and she wouldn't miss the place at all. For a moment she let her mind linger on project berserker and a cold thin smile crossed her face unseen by any. Whatever the present setback, the plan would continue.

* * *

The last member of the wrecking crew had been released from the hospital the day after his fight with Ranma, his phenomenal constitution having served him well once again. Well Ryoga released himself really by simply walking out the door of his room, his families curse did the rest. However he didn't immediately go in search of his rival, he had a lot to think about before he went searching for Ranma again. Not only had his attempt to kill Ranma fail, he had seen Akane nearly kill Ranma. Seeing the blood coming out of Ranma as he was impaled on Kuno's sword by Akane's mallet had opened up his mind to her violent nature in a way nothing else had.

Pausing for a moment he looked around. If Ryoga was normal he would have been alarmed by the scenery he found himself in. Dead plants dotted the land here and there, but for the most part the land was a blasted, cracked waste as far as he could see. "Alright where the hell am I now!?"

Nearby very sharp ears perked up at his shout and sensual, almost overripe lips peeled back to reveal two long fangs. "Well now, what have we here?"

**end chapter **

I might or might not use Ryoga later, his part is so small I could ignore him easy if people feel strongly about never seeing him again. The same cannot be said about Akane. She will not be a main character (in **any** of my stories) but her fate will be important later.


	9. chapter 8 The proplem with

**I dont own Ranma or GD. **

OKay, I have two reviewers I wish to respond, one because i respect him as an author and the other because he wrote some good reviews.

_LordsFire_... first let me say Cameron's Legacy and The Warp is Calm are damn good stories and among my favorites in their specific niches. In terms of my prologue/first chapter, my introduction chapters are always weaker in my opinion then the story in general, mainly because I want to get the background info out of the way and get to the good stuff. An extreme of this is my Chaotic Space story and my Third Path to the Future pilot that I'll be putting up sometime Saturday.

However, cliches are the way they are because they are either interesting, funny or easy to use, that is how they become cliches. _Nysk_ gave me a great starting point and i tried to make my story follow the same lines yet be original at the same time. In my case I did deliberately accentuate Akane's negative traits, for reasons that was hinted at in the last chapter. Genma will never be more than the root of all evil. The other characters were either insane (t. Kuno) or had fallen into mental and physical ruts without realizing it, which again was pointed out to them last chapter.

In terms of the relationships I thought I had explained that they had in fact been building for quite some time, but again i wanted to get to the interesting parts. In terms of Brianna her latching onto Ranma is actually part of her original character, remember how fast Brit latched onto Strype and how quick Brianna tried to get with Raphael and practically every other male she came across.

Still if you don't like don't read, sorry.

_Fast Frank_ (a guest apparently) Gina is susceptible to practically any hot male, and we have seen in the manga that Brianna and Brit are affected by pheromones.

Who said she was able to hide it from those two? She and the others merely think she did. Her father and her younger sister didn't notice, nor did Genma or any of the younger set.

Thanks for catching that part about the fight with Hurtz, I'll go back and change that. I thought I had redone that fight but I forgot to copy and paste the new fight scene in.

Constructive reviews are always welcome.

this chapter covers Strype leaving earth, and the rest of that episode, as well as Ranma dealing with some chaos again.

I've seen some reviews asking me to put Brit in the harem but no one has taken up my challenge of actually giving me a well thought out argument for her addition. Guess she has plenty of admirers but no champions...

t

* * *

**Chapter eight: the problem with international calls**

Three days after the debacle at Taco Hut it was a busy day at the Diggers household that found all two of the three sisters and Ranma outside in the back yard. To one side was Ranma, moving large sheets of metal into rows with the help of Hurtz. Gina stood in front of them, holding her small wrist comp and several scanning devices. She had an appointment with Penny latter that day down in Peru, but she wanted to see the results of this experiment first.

The objective of this exercise was to see how different Ranma's ki attacks and neko-ken moves were from one form to another, to give Ranma a better idea of each form's ki based abilities as he hadn't had much luck with adding his element to his ki attacks and was worried there was something wrong. The metal sheets were trash pieces from Gina's lab and Penny's and she was there to record everything.

On the other side of the lawn were Brittany and her newly returned mother. Julia and her daughter were both dressed in exercise gear and had several dozen arm and body pads on the ground around them. Today was going to be the day Julia started her daughters training in earnest.

Julia had been very pleased with her daughter's progress under Ranma's tutelage, but wanted to take over her training. Ranma was still pushing himself and training Brit was something he only did when asked. The young man was so focused on martial arts that it was almost scary even to Julia, considering the level of skill he had already achieved.

Julia wanted to challenge the boy herself but with the warning from Theo's old master had decided to push that to the side. Moreover, his style was so like her own, save for his reliance on mid air techniques and dodging, that she couldn't teach him much. Ranma also already knew his own weaknesses and was working to correct them on his own. That kind of thought process made it clear he was something special, and forcing him into the mold of a student again would be counterproductive. _Not that we can't spar from time to time,_ she thought gleefully.

Brit looked across at her mother worry clear on her face. "Are you sure you want to do this mom? I'm super strong and fast. If I punch you it'll be like being hit by a cannonball." A few weeks ago, she would never have agreed to spar with her mother no matter what, but her time working out with Ranma in all his forms had shown her how good normal humans could be. Though her reaction to his werecat form still made for its own issues...

Julia smiled. "Don't worry about that dear. I've fought ogres, trolls and dragons in my time, all of which are much stronger than any were-creature. And sparring is at the center of my school, we have to spar for you to learn."

She brought up her hand into a guard position and motioned her daughter forward. "Let's go."

* * *

Ranma looked wistfully over at the sparring duo _I've been lookin' forward to sparrin' with Master Julia for weeks, but noooo I gotta wait longer all because of some mage prophecy thingie. This sucks. _ Resignedly he turned it look at Gina. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Gina nodded. "Yep, I'm ready over here. Hurtz, move next to me and prepare to protect me from flying debris. I can't use my force field and take readings at the same time." Hurtz immediately moved to her side, activating his new force shield and covering them both.

Ranma nodded, reaching over to a glass of cold water. "We'll start with my female form," she said.

Ranma-chan turned to the first target. Each piece of metal was placed in a row, six deep, going from least to most strong. She inhaled, threw her hands forward and "Moko takabashi!"

The ball of blue energy shot forward to impact on the first target. The sphere blew through the sheet of metal easily, then through the next two layers, finally diffusing itself on the fourth.

Ranma-chan looked at the damage, shrugged and swiped her hands forward. His neko-claws shot forward, slicing cleanly through all of the layered metal but the last in a four inch wide gash and even the last layer had been scarred.

Gina gasped in shock. The second to last plate had been what was called space metal, metal solidified and hardened to four times as strong as normal steel. She had donated it from her now defunct satellite program. The neko claw had cut straight through it. The last layer, which had been visibly scored from where she stood, was something she had picked up from El Dorado, Stripes city which had been a universe travelling spaceship before crashing on earth. _ Ranma's ki attack just scored something that only my most powerful lasers and explosives could dent. Wow._

Ranma –chan poured a thermos of hot water over her head and turned to the next group of metal. He did the same thing, and Gina looked in awe as the ki attack and neko claw visibly did more damage. Not only was the moko takabashi blast larger, it hit with more force, blackening the metal from El Dorado. The neko-claw actually sliced into it, ignoring the rest of the metal layers with ease.

Brianna came out of the house, carrying a tray of drinks. "How's it going?"

Gina looked at her, shaking her head. "See for yourself."

Brianna came up to stand next to Ranma and breathed in deeply, body thrumming in response to his heightened pheromones as Ranma changed form and he went through the same two attacks. This time, the moko attack was smaller, somewhere between his male form and girl form. His neko claw attack however….

Gina and Brianna both gasped. The werelion's ki claws had sliced clean through every layer, even the EL Dorado metal. It left a gaping slash a foot wide and six feet tall through every layer of metal.

"Wow. Just wow Ranma," Brianna murmured, still standing next to her.

Now that he wasn't practicing, Ranma became aware of her presence. Before he could move away, Brianna latched onto him, pulling him into a deep, hard kiss causing his ponytail and tail to spring out straight as if electrocuted. Their tongues met and dueled for a few minutes, before Gina threw water on the proceedings. Literally.

Brianna glared over her now redheaded and short boy toy's head, as she slowly broke the kiss. "That wasn't very nice, Gina. Remind me to do that the next time you and Ryan are being friendly." She sang. Like Brit, Brianna sometimes sang her words when she was angry. She hadn't been able to make out with Ranma for dayyyyyyyys (two) and it was irritating her. The one time she had surprised him in the shower, while pleasant (yes, the readings from the regeneration tube were spot on and yes he lived up to his name, wow!) did not cut it.

"Whatever. Dad is expecting Ranma at the main house in an hour. You really don't want to be making out with Ranma if he decides to come and look for him."

Brianna nodded reluctant agreement and she let the still shocked Ranma go, tail twitching behind him. He had gotten far better at responding to flirtations of all sorts without coming on too strongly, but had yet to initiate many outside of time spent with Kasumi cooking. This may have caused some jealousy but it hadn't. Even Brianna, horny as hell, would never say anything about the saintly woman having fun with him.

Ranma left the two girls there, going inside alongside Hurtz. As the girls continued to inspect and take note of the damage his attacks had done, the robot turned its visual sensors on Ranma. "User Ranma, query?"

"Yeah Hurtz? And it's just Ranma okay."

"The attacks you used just now are more powerful by several orders of magnitude than any of the attacks you have used in our spars. The moko takabashi attack is at least 62% to 120% stronger than ki attacks you have used. The neko-ken attack is entirely new and 400% more powerful than any attack you have shown, including the Dragon Spiral attack you used in our last match. Query, why have you not used them?"

Ranma sighed stopping in the hall and turning to the robot. "I don't use those attacks because they're killing moves. I don't use them in spars 'cause in a spar the objective is not to kill or even survive but ta improve yourself and your opponent. You're a friend Hurtz, and I'd never use attacks like that on you."

Hurtz cocked his head at the response as the two began walking again. As Ranma came to the bathroom and was about to enter, Hurtz paused on his way further into the house. "This unit also considers you a friend, user Ranma."

Ranma flashed him a grin before he entered the bathroom and the android turned away. In the labs where she was cleaning, Kasumi felt the slight shift in the wa, and smiled.

* * *

Dr. Diggers and Séance looked up as Ranma walked into the room they had specially set up with the help of Genn. A large magic circle with several powerful warding runes was set into the floor. A dozen aura gems were placed in wooden sconces around it. An even larger memory gem hung above it, connected to the stones below by magical thread. Séance was in the process of walking around the circle, sending a brief starting surge into each of the small crystals, which began to glow with a faint aqua light.

"Ah, Ranma, please come in. We are almost ready for you."

"Thank you for doing this for me sir. I really don't know how I will ever repay you." Ranma said waiting to one side.

Dr. Diggers smiled. Thanks to Kasumi, Ranma was always on his best behavior when around the powerful aura mage and he appreciated it. "Actually Ranma, I think that your continued defense of my daughters on their trips is more than payment enough. I will also admit to professional curiosity. Your aura is easily the most complicated I have ever seen. I really am looking forward to studying it."

Ranma rolled his eyes theatrically and the two mages laughed. Theo motioned Ranma into the circle and the young man sat down in the center. "Now, I want you to enlarge your aura slowly, until it covers the area of the circle."

Ranma nodded and closed his eyes, focusing. Slowly his aura expanded, until it filled the requisite area.

Theo nodded as Séance concentrated, activating the gems. "Good, now hold that there. How long can you hold it?"

Ranma shrugged, not opening his eyes. "At least a few hours at this level sir."

Theo nodded. "Very well. We will begin." For the next two hours, the two mages began to try to disassemble Ranma's extremely complex and very confusing aura. They asked him to change forms a few times, and spent an equal amount of time studying him in all three of his forms.

They would have continued for longer if Séance had not noticed one of the surrounding gems fluctuating strangely. "Master Diggers, there seems to be something wrong with the aura gem on the left."

Theo looked up coming out of his mage gaze and was startled to see one of the gems pulsating. He jumped to his feet and yelled "Ranma get out of there!"

Ranma, in his female form at the moment reacted instantly to the danger signal and moved. Unfortunately he did so too fast for Séance to deactivate the magic circle.

Two things happened at once. Ranma's body intersected the magic circle, and the crystal which had been pulsating so oddly exploded.

This resulted in a tremendously loud thunderclap of sound as white and red clouds of vapor enveloped the room.

Nabiki and Kasumi, who had been dropping off some documents and cleaning up the main house respectively, came running at the noise. When they opened the door, Séance stumbled out, coughing on the fumes. They peered around the door to see Dr. Diggers, who had been protected by an aura shield from the explosion, wave his hands. The windows at the side of the study opened, and the smoke was pushed out by an unseen wind. When the smoke dissipated, the rest of the room was revealed.

Everyone stared for a moment and then burst into laughter.

Dr. Diggers fell to his knees laughing as Séance grabbed the doorframe, barely able to hold himself upright. "Hahahahahah," he howled.

Kasumi and Nabiki giggled as well at the sight before them, moving forward into the room.

Ranma looked at them askance. She now had the ears and tail of a cat and was wearing what looked like a strange amalgamation of her former clothing and lion skin. Her hair, which had been red, was now streaked with black. All in all she looked like a cat girl from one of those old anime shows. "Mree-it's neowt frrunny!" When she opened her mouth incisors gleamed and she meowed like a cat, her words barely intelligible. She reached up pawing at one of her ears.

That was the final straw for Kasumi and Nabiki, who rushed forward shouting "Kawaii!" For the next few minutes, they hugged and petted the protesting cat girl while Dr. Diggers and Séance regained control of themselves and removed all the magical debris.

Only the memory gem had survived the magical accident. All the other crystals shattered due to magical resonance with the faulty crystal. Once he was sure that the main gem was intact and had copied Ranma's aura in all its forms, Dr. Diggers turned to the unhappy young (man? Girl? Cat?) and sighed. "I'm sorry Ranma. It appears there was a flaw in one of the aura crystals. After a time, it caused the crystal to crack expelling all its energy at once. The effect was to mix all of your different forms together. Luckily the effect isn't permanent."

He waved his hands and after a moment, Ranma was back in his normal girl body, much to the disappointment of Kasumi and Nabiki, though her clothing was still in tatters, causing Séance to blush and turn away rapidly and Dr. Diggers to flush uncomfortably. "Why don't you go and get changed and meet us back here in ten minutes." Ranma nodded and left the study followed by Kasumi and Nabiki, who were still chuckling and poking gentle fun at their boyfriend.

He returned to find the room clean and the huge gem that had been in the ceiling gone. The magic circle was still there, but had been covered by a circular carpet.

Dr. Diggers looked up from where he was inscribing notes on thin air, with Séance looking over his shoulder. The two had been discussing Ranma's weird aura, and Dr. Diggers, like many good teachers, had taken the opportunity to informally quiz his student's knowledge.

He gestured Ranma into one of the chairs facing his desk. "Sit down son. Séance, head over to Gina's and ask her if we can use her trans- dimensional gate later today. Ranma and I will be going on a bit of a trip." Séance nodded eager to see Gina for any reason.

Dr. Diggers sighed, as he looked at Ranma's surprised expression. "Honestly Ranma there are several things in your aura that I have never seen before. I need to go to Jade and talk to some fellow mages about same of it, and for advice on the rest. I will tell you what I can now however, but I want you nearby in case they have questions after we've looked at it." His daughter's housemate nodded and he continued.

"Now, Ranma as I understand it, you were most worried about two areas: your Jusenkyo curse, and your neko-ken fear being gone." Ranma nodded again. "I can tell you right now that there is no way to remove your girl-form curse. It has bonded seamlessly to your natural aura, so much so that it by itself looks natural, as if you were born with it. The water attraction part of the curse however I can lessen, and have done so. Simply spend a portion of every week in your girl form and you'll be subjected to far less in the way of random water based accidents. "

Ranma nodded. He had come to grips with his girl form when he was living in Nerima. _The only real problem was everyone else's reaction to it back there, especially my old man's._ This problem had gone away for the most part, now that he was living with the Diggers and not going to school. "Thank you for that sir. And the neko-ken?"

"Ranma, your fear of cats and the neko-ken battle aura itself have merged with your regular life energy aura. It is right below the surface, much like my own daughters wereheetah form. Your werelion form is simply a physical manifestation of it. You may still have a certain dislike for housecats yes?" Ranma nodded, and Theo went on "But you will never enter the berserk state that the fear forced you into before."

Ranma sat in the chair thinking. "Can I ask you a couple questions Sensei?"

Theo smiled as the young man used the formal honorific. If Ranma turned out to have a talent in magic to match his skill in life energy manipulation, he would gladly have him as a student. The young man had impressed him, even if his manners and general knowledge left much to be desired. _Still, those problems can be corrected._ _Having a male role model worth the name may also help_. "Certainly Ranma, after all this is your life we are discussing."

Ranma nodded, trying and failing to hide his surprise that any adult would say that he had control over his own life. "Would you or some other mage have been able to do something for the curse if I had asked before, say a few months ago? If it's part of my aura, what would've happened if I had used the water of drowned man?"

Dr. Diggers blanched. "The water of drowned man would have merged with your present curse Ranma, not replaced it." Ranma's face whitened perceptively for a few moments, then to Theo's surprise seemed almost happy. Ranma was in fact thinking that it meant the Wedding Fiasco had been a farce from the start. Not only did Akane and Ranma not want to marry, but the bribe held over Ranma's head wasn't real.

Theo went on "As to your first question, if you had found an aura mage within perhaps the first month the curse would have been removable after that no. I read up on Jusenkyou prior to studying you, and it is among the top five magical sites in the world, and **easily** the most chaotic. It is very rare for it to let its victims go, regardless of how hard they try."

Ranma nodded. "Er, speaking of chaotic, was there anythin' in my aura that explains why crazy stuff always happens around me?"

Dr. Diggers nodded, happy that Ranma himself had noticed the phenomena. "Yes, in fact. Mixed in with the rest of your aura is the mark of several curses, familial, personal and deific, as well as at least two blessings, one of which is maternal and the other deific, though the specific god in question is unknown to me. They have all interacted in a strange manner, and are causing a variable flux in both good and bad luck."

At Ranma's confused expression he simplified. "You have several curses and two blessing affecting your aura. One blessing is from a woman in your family, possibly your mother. The other is from a god, one I have not seen before. You have several dozen curses, four of which come from gods, the rest were either handed down in your family or specifically targeted at you."

Ranma blinked, leaning back to digest this information. Before he could ask the next logical question Dr. diggers answered it for him. "I have removed the five curses that I can, but the rest are buried too deeply in your aura for me to do anything about. I'm sorry I can't be more help lad."

Ranma waved away the doctors apology. "Don't worry about it sensei. I got used to crazy stuff happening to me a while ago. Just having a decent family and home helps way more than anythin' else. One last question: um, do you, I mean, is there a reason so many girls, um…" Ranma blushed.

Dr. Diggers smiled sadly. He had seen how all three of his daughters reacted to Ranma. Brittany at least only reacted to his werecat form, and it was entirely an unconscious thing, which she recognized and did her best to combat. Gina reacted to him as well, but did not seem in a rush to deepen it, merely having fun teasing him at least in human form. When he was in were-form however, her self control deteriorated rapidly.

Brianna on the other hand had obviously developed a deep emotional as well as physical attachment to the boy, one of surprising depth given they had only known each other barely three weeks. "I believe you are talking about the reaction of young women to you? That has to do with your pheromones. For perfectly normal biological reasons, your body gives off a high level of pheromones. Much like in animals, humans will react if it appears in a high enough profusion. The heightened reaction in your other form is one of the areas of concern that I need other mages to look into. I will assure you though, that my daughter's and I think the Tendo's like for you goes far deeper than simple physical attraction." Ranma flinched as his unspoken question was answered.

Theo smiled gently. "It is you they have come to care for, Ranma the person, not Ranma the sex object." He coughed apologetically. "I cannot say the same for Gina as Brianna however." Ranma blushed again, and Theo smiled. _So innocent in so many ways, despite the life he has led._

Ranma bowed thanking Dr. Diggers for his aid, promising to meet the man in Gina's lab in a few hours. Till then, his time was his own. Dr. Diggers spent a few minutes looking after him smiling gently. _If the day comes, I will welcome having a son in law like you Ranma, as I have Strype. Far better than that reprobate Ryan, at any rate! Though I do hope your chaos aura has decreased by then._ With a mental sigh, Theo snapped his fingers and teleported away, deciding to spend some time with his wife and Brittany before leaving for Jade.

* * *

A tall obelisk of molten metal appeared in the skies of a strange gold and blue world, raining destruction down through lightning and wind, despite the world's defenses. The world was Aebra, home to a space-faring race who had given up expansion due to the conflict it evoked in the past. Their world was comfortable, peaceful, and had known no conflict of any sort for over two thousand years, it's inhabitants content, secure behind the advanced defense systems.

The cheerful inhabitants were soon to discover that their defenses were no match for the dark power of their oldest legends returned. After eons of imprisonment the dynasty had come to reclaim their world. Their return was heralded by a giant obelisk of dark rock, a mighty planetoid of immense size suddenly appearing in space above the planet. Seconds later, as long unused defense platforms came online they were destroyed by a mighty storm which covered the entire planet, stripping bare the metal of the defensive systems, lightning slamming into them, frying their inner workings and occasionally luckless Aebrans who had the misfortune of being too close to them. Three long hours after the attack began it was over, and the whole of the planet stood defenseless, it's people shocked and disoriented.

On board the dark obelisk's bridge Rao, the patriarch of the dynasty of stars smiled grimly. "At last the war wind has destroyed all the defenses of those infesting our planet."

A young woman, beautiful but cold, with odd tattoos adorning body and face replied. "Good, but we must stay prepared father."

The older man nodded. "True our wind generated by the Castle can only destroy defenses as they appear. Until we construct pylons on the ground and start to build our warrior factories we are vulnerable. We have to prepare for hidden surprises Uriel."

"I am ready father." Uriel asserted.

"So are we," another female voice replied behind father and daughter.

"Aunt Kiriel?" The tone was respectful but surprised as Uriel turned. The older woman, wearing a mask of metal seemed to convey a sneer with every word she spoke, and stood in front of her brood of five, all awake and active despite having only been out cryogenic sleep for an hour. "But were also impatient to see if the powerful natural energies we need still exists on this world."

The patriarch smiled at his younger sibling, "Fear not sister. The race that now infest our planet haven't discovered the secret of Universal Foci. With this planet retaken and the primitives turned into servitors we will have enough to supply further… wait!" He was interrupted as a beam of light shot past the observation room, heading into deep space. Immediately the war wind, the semi-autonomous lightning machine the Dynasty ship used as its main offensive weapon lashed out, destroying the sight from which the light originated, but too late to stop it.

"No! Despite our castles interference barrier, the natives of this planet have somehow managed to transmit a distress message into hyperspace!" The patriarch scowled in a mixture of worry and irritation as his nanites fed him information from the ships sensors. "It could reach anyone with the equipment to receive it instantly!" He turned to his brood as more and more of them came out of cryogenic sleep, many of them still woozy from the long eons spent in their pocket dimension prison. "It appears our head start against the rest of the universe is over."

The legend of El Dorado, city of gold located somewhere in the mountains of South America, was one of mystery and wonder. Yet that tale couldn't come close to matching the truth: that the fabled city was actually an Aebran colony ship sent here thousands of years ago, which crash landed after a battle with an Atlantean colony ship.

Yet for all their power in the past, the people of El-Dorado had to turn to others for technological aid now. "Are you certain about this distress signal, Rol?" Strype, Prince of the city, (and prime source of nookie to one Brittney Diggers) stood in discussion with his most trusted advisors in technical matters, the rabbit like aliens he and his friends had found infesting the inner city months ago. His counselors were in attendance as well for this meeting and all looked very worried.

Rol, a small rabbit like mammal of fearful disposition but immense intelligence and technical savvy nodded, his head going up and down like a bobble head, so great was his distress. "There's no doubt Strype, the message came from Aebra: the planet is being conquered ripped to shreds by a legend come to life, the Dynasty!" The rabbit like alien broke off as his shaking became too much for him to speak.

Strype knew little of the Dynasty, and at this point did not care to waste time finding out more when his people were in danger. There would be time enough to learn about his enemy when they were en route. "El Dorado was once a spacefaring city-ship capable of hyperspace travel. How soon can you get it able to fly again with hyperspace capability?"

Rol and his wife looked at one another for a moment before he replied. "El Dorado was designed around one inner ship and an outer shell. We would have to replace a few parts for the engines housed in the inner city to work, but the outer city with all of the weapon and defensive systems is too old and battered. We can jettison that part easily enough the ship was designed for it after all. An hour, maybe two of hard work maybe, if you assign enough people to help us to get the engines running?"

Strype nodded decisively. "Call out the entire guard and the militia. They will all help as you direct." The little rabbit man nodded, chest puffed out with the thought of ordering so any dangerous meat eaters around like that.

An older man stepped forward from the ranks of the councilors. "Lord? Are we going to the aid of our home planet?"

Strype turned to his chief advisor. "What choice do we have Primus? They are our people, and as far as we know we're the only ones that know they're in danger and are able to help. We leave as soon as possible."

Jan the female rabbit alien spoke up at this point, facing showing worry and shock. "What about Brittney! Weren't you going to be married in two weeks?"

The prince turned even more grim eyes flashing in pain. The words came out hard and obviously took a lot of effort as he turned away, already following after Rol to help as much as he could with the preparations. "My people come before any of my needs, even my need for Brittney." Jan stared after the prince's back for a moment before rushing off to join the repair work.

* * *

Séance knocked on the door to lab G thirteen, the tenth lab on the third floor of the research complex underneath the Diggers home that Gina had built. Inside he was sad to find Brianna rather than her older sister. "Brianna, do you know where Gina is? I was hoping to talk to her about something."

Brianna looked up, relieved to have something else to do besides monitor the communications system and teleporter. "Sorry Séance, Gina left about five hours ago for that dig she was working with Penny. She just called saying she's on her way back though. What's up? Maybe I can help you out."

Brianna was in a bad mood as she had lost at rock paper scissors to see who would take the Tendo sisters to the local college. She had hoped to talk to them some more concerning Ranma, in particular pushing him to move their relationship forward. She was starting to go into nookie withdrawal; make out session just weren't enough for someone with her libido. "If it's about setting up a dimensional gate to Jade I left a note upstairs telling dad that it's all set up in lab five1."

The young mage fidgeted with his hands for a moment trying. "I kind of doubt it. I was hoping to…ask her to accompany me on a small" _gulp_ "social outing of some sort."

Brianna grinned wickedly. "Oh how cute! You act like this is the first time asked a girl out of date Séance." at the young man's look of embarrassment she softened her voice. "Sorry Séance I didn't mean to tease you. I"

Behind Séance, the door suddenly opened to admit Ryan, arms extended in an arrogant posture unchanged from the last time the two had seen each other. He had at last escaped the Nutty Nymphos (Kodachi and Kate) and wanted to make certain he hadn't harmed his relationship with Gina. He was also hoping to get her the hell away from the freak of nature Ranma. Watching the he/she thing change had rattled him badly, reminding him too much of his first reaction to Genn. He did so in his own inimitable fashion. "Baby, Mr. Right has arrived! There's this new movie out I know you want to see it with me!"

Brianna forced herself not to glare at the bombastic redhead. "Sorry Ryan, Gina's not here right now."

Ryan blinked, lowering his arms and looking around. "That's funny, I called this morning. Gina said she was working here today."

The black haired mage looked at him sourly. "Well, evidently she's not so I suppose you would like to be going now."

Ryan shrugged, oblivious to Séance's irritation. "It's okay, I'll wait. Hey Brianna is Gina in communication range or something? I want to talk to her."

Brianna looked at him a little angrily. _He didn't have to shoot down Séance that hard. Still, the faster I get them out of here, the faster I can vamoose and maybe talk to Ranma before him and Dad leave for Jade. "_Well, I'll see what I can do via the El-Doradan and Atlantean linkups. Direct satellite communication is too expensive though, we're still watching our budget these days." She turned to the communications screen, and began to punch in the code for El-Dorado, thinking it was the closest to Gina's location in Brazil.

Ryan shrugged carelessly. "Don't bother with that, go for a direct link. I can pay for it, hook me up Bri'."

Séance scowled. "I wanted to talk to Gina as well."

Brianna glared at her screen before turning to the two men, who had begun to glare at one another. "Hold on you two, nobody gets to talk to Gina just yet. The El Dorado server for our common communications network is down. That's a lot more important than letting either of you talk to Gina."

She handed a Séance a small box, which looked like a scanner from Star Trek. She handed Ryan one of Gina's newest inventions, a portable teleporter beacon. "So I'm going to send you both out there right now to fix this."

Ryan nodded sullenly. He knew that a server going down was way more important than his hitting on Gina but "Why do we both have to go?"

Brianna smiled sweetly, as she replied matter-of-factly "because the communication unit's power source interferes with the teleporter beacon. The teleporter in room six is free."

The mage nodded happily, thankful that Ryan would not get to speak to Gina first. Séance stepped into the teleporter as Ryan inputted the coordinates for El Dorado before joining him.

Seconds later, they appeared, not where they expected to, but on the lip of a massive hole in the ground. Séance looked around aghast at the damage done to the surrounding area, as well as the size of the hole left in the ground by something being uprooted violently. "Ryan, did you push the correct button?"

Ryan too was grim faced as he surveyed the area, squabble forgotten. "I sure did, we're here but El Dorado isn't."

* * *

On the other side of the rim of the jagged hole, which was where El Dorado used to be, Zelda and her boss were standing looking around. Pee Wee chuckled maliciously. "Today is my lucky day. Do you know how long I've been waiting for a chance at raiding El Dorado?"

Zelda scowled "For what? Everybody knows that the artificial gold it's made from is about is worthless as pennies. Besides it looks as if someone beat you to it in a big way. And where's the mage? He's late!"

The ninja appearing from out of nowhere at her side answered, startling Zelda so much she jumped five feet into the air before coming down on her ass. "Obviously Lord Talon is after more than mere treasure, Zelda."

Pee Wee nodded importantly. "That is correct Galford. The DNA samples I'll be able to collect will be worth far more! Did you finish surveying the area already?"

"Yes lord there are two people at the far side, friends of the Diggers I believe, who are trying to make their way down into the gorge, I recognize them from that mission a few weeks ago."

Zelda looked up intrigued, hoping that one of the men was Ranma. She wanted another crack at him, though in what manner her mind had yet to figure out. "But please Lord Talon, allow me to correct you. I am no longer merely Galford. I am Daishi, Great Death."

Pee Wee and Zelda looked at him for a moment sweat dropping in confusion and worry. The young genius spoke slowly as one would to someone hard of thinking. "Well then Daishi, I want you to get back over there and convince them to leave. Zelda, Ionis and I will be along shortly."

The ninja nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Pee Wee turned to Zelda. "So what do you think?"

Zelda shrugged. "I think his head gears on a little too tight, poor guy." Pee Wee nodded.

* * *

Ryan and Séance had made their way around the ridgeline to where they saw what could be a way down into the hole. "It appears as though only the outer sections of the city are destroyed, the central area is simply… gone."

Ryan nodded agreement. "I'm going down for a look around. Get on the com and tell Brianna about this. Open the server module, log on as a guest and connect to .net."

Séance looked at the device he held, the Jade native more than a little concerned. "It has so many buttons... Uh, I'm not very good with this sort of thing. I can't make it explode or anything accidentally can I? Only, with Brianna you never know…"

Ryan snorted as he continued his descent. "True that, but it's one of Gina's inventions so it should be safe. Fiddle with it a bit, you'll figure it out."

As Séance stared down at the communication device, his ability to pick up the thoughts of those around him activated, saving his life from a swift end as he suddenly had a vision of a sword slashing through his body from behind. Gasping in horror, he shouted "Displace!"

The magical spell moved his body to the left two feet forward, enough to make Daishi miss his downward strike.

"Hmph, you have luck mage, but luck alone will not save you from my blade!"

Séance cast "Repel", smacking the probing sword away from another stabbing blow, and moved away casting aura shield quickly. "Ryan, we've got company!"

Below Ryan heard the noise, and turned around, coming up and surprising Daishi with a flying kick to the back of the head. As the ninja ducked away twisting to face both his opponents Ryan smirked, bringing his hands up in a guard position. "So Galford you feel like losing today? Step up punk!"

Séance breathed in a sigh of relief, "Keep on your guard Ryan! That sword is dangerous!"

Daishi smirked. "The both of you aren't even worth the effort, not while I have more important work to do. However, when we meet again you will both be finished, victims of Great Death." He vanished suddenly, dropping a smoke ball to cover his escape.

Séance and Ryan looked at one another. "It could be that Galford has something to do with what happened to El Dorado."

Ryan nodded. "Could be Séance. Which means finding him and making him tell us what he knows is the only way to find out." Séance nodded grimly wiggling his fingers in a businesslike manner and they began to make their way around the lip of the chasm.

Back at the lab Brittany, Gina and her new best friend Penny teleported into lab number six, just missing Ranma and Theo leaving for Jade, from what had turned out to be a wild goose chase. "I told you Peru would want the fountain of youth for development as a national park Gina. And to think Ponce de Leon wasted all of his time searching in Florida instead of Peru."

Brit came up behind them in the hallway, newly showered after sparring with Julia and wanting to use the com to invite Strype over to kiss her boo-boos and make them better.

Gina nodded agreement with her friend. "It's amazing though the phenomenon that stops the aging process is an area effect consequence of drinking from the Fountain of Youth. You have to remain in the vicinity of the fountain at all times. It's absolutely incredible, and the government's payment for the discovery wasn't bad either, certainly enough to put us into the black again. Nabiki will be pleased. Brianna?"

"In the com room," Brianna answered, sounding a little anxious, and all three girls made their way over entering the room to see Briana hunched over the communications console. Brianna waved them inside before turning back to look at the main screen. On the screen the image of the queen of Atlantis looked out, her slightly fish like features creased in concern. "Brianna, I'm telling you we can't raise El Dorado even with the pool of legends! What could have happened! If the pool of legends can no longer locate Eldorado it can only mean it no longer exists!" Brianna, Gina and Penny all turned to Brit, whose face had gone blank with shock.

* * *

Back at the sight of what once had been El Dorado Ryan and Séance had found Pee Wee and his goons, only realizing belatedly that they had bitten off more than they could chew. The two were clearly outclassed by their opponents who, while not using much in the way of teamwork was simply overpowering them both.

Ionis teleported behind Séance, who had been keeping the newly christened Daishi away by using the spell Force Wall pinning him against the lip of the chasm. A 'shock' spell later, and Séance fell to the ground senseless, leaving Ryan alone to face all three at once.

Ryan tried to pull off the ki blast he had seen the sonic scream warrior's use in the Taco Hut fiasco only for Daishi to slash through it with his blade. Zelda moved in on his blind side, getting in a hard kick to the back of his head that nearly sent him into Daishi's onrushing blade. He twisted, barely avoiding being skewered, and moved to keep his back to the lip of the chasm, shaking his head groggily.

Just as it looked hopeless a light gate formed and Brittney came out, rage in her eyes. "So…" she hissed "You're behind this Erwin! Well, how about this, you tell me what you did to El Dorado and Strype if you don't want a dirt nap! And I ain't playnin'!"

Ryan took a step back, his desire to fight suddenly quenched by the fury radiating off the cat girl. For his part Pee Wee failed to take her seriously, waving a hand negligently. "Pish Tosh. Daishi, eject her."

Daishi moved forward. "I am afraid it is time to say good bye Cheetah!"

Before he could do anything more than raise his weapon to striking position Brit was in his face, smashing his neck with a flying clothesline. Before the momentum could send him too far, Cheetah grabbed him by his chin and pulled backwards and down, slamming his back into her knee at the same time. A resounding crack was heard as she slammed another knee to his stomach.

Brit threw the ninja's now broken body at Zelda, sending them both to the ground.

Ionis, faced with an enraged werecat, once more followed the better part of valor, teleporting away leaving the pintsize geneticist alone. Erwin turned from where his least loyal minion had been, smiling sickly at the snarling Cheetah. "Eh-heh, I'm sorry? I was only joking?"

She lifted him off the ground in one hand holding him at eye level. "You took someone from me pee wee someone from me Pee Wee. Strype's gone and it's all your fault. Yeah good joke."

The young boy whimpered as Cheetah held him at eye level, his feet dangling three feet from the ground. It was all he could do to keep control of his bladder as he tried to form a reply "B-but I-I didn't…"

Ryan looked up from where he had fallen to his knees, that last blow from Zelda getting to him now that the adrenaline had worn off. He spoke slowly trying to calm the enraged werecheetah down. "B-Brit, you don't wanna"

Cheetah didn't even look at him as she snarled. "Shut up Ryan. Strype's gone. He's gone and this little twerp had something to do with it. And I'm going to find out what or else!"

Behind her, another light gate activated, and her sister ran through followed by Tyr. Gina gasped, seeing her younger sister ready to commit murder. "Cheetah stop for goodness sake, Strype's okay! We know where he is! Let the little asshole go!"

Brit snarled. "Stay out of this Gina i…. What did you-what did you just say?" She turned, face going from terrifying to hopeful as the words finally registered.

As she dropped Pee Wee to the ground and turned to face her sister, Ionis appeared next to him, arms already forming a spell. "Forgive my delay, milord, gate of retreat!"

Pee Wee gasped in relief. "Excellent timing Ionis, you're forgiven your earlier cowardice!"

Ionis smirked. "you're all heart milord, farewell fools." And with that they were gone.

Brit ignored their exit, staring hopefully at her sisters. "What do you mean you know where Strype is, what happened to him?"

Tyr moved toward her holding up a recording device. "This was sent to Atlantis a few hours ago, we only just got it. It holds a recording telling us where Strype has gone and a personal message for you." Brit took it from her wordlessly and hit the play button while Gina rushed over to Ryan and Séance.

"Jinkies you two look like you were put through the wringer." She put her arm under Ryan helping the redheaded adventurer to his feet, deliberately pushing her chest into his side. "Come on hero, up you come. Both you and Séance are due a session in the regeneration tube." Ryan grinned hopefully as she went on "And then if you're up for it maybe a therapeutic make out session…"

Brianna lifted the still unconscious Séance in her arms, turning away to give Brit some privacy as the were-cheetah listened to her beau say goodbye to her.

* * *

Nabiki and Kasumi walked to their car, where Genn awaited them. "Congratulations little sister, I am very proud of you."

Nabiki grinned, radiating happiness like a light bulb. She had taken several accelerated business courses while in Nerima and taken more once they arrived in Atlanta and now she walked away from Georgia Tech with a full business degree, and an invitation to their masters program. She could now take full and legal control of the Diggers portfolio, both the daughters and their parents. She had plans, oh yes (insert megalomaniacal laughter here).

Genn congratulated her as the two women got in the car before posing a question. "So what are you going to do now Nabiki, get a job or just keep control of the Diggers assets?"

Nabiki leaned back in her chair, looking up at the sky as the world went by. "I have a few ideas. The basic idea is to get as much money moving and working as we can, so that rather than selling off ideas or gadgets that other people will patent and sell, we set up our own company. No mass production just yet but that way we control every aspect of the device. We don't want another SCV incident do we?"

Kasumi and Genn winced in unison. Gina had sold some of her robotics blueprints to an engineering company, which promptly attempted to turn it to a military use and sell it to the U.S. military. Nabiki had gotten wind of it however, and Gina's hurtbots had moved in and secured the robot design and prototype. "But to do that we need some high yield, low capital investments. I haven't figured one out yet, but it'll come."

Kasumi smiled encouragingly as Genn pondered the idea in silence. "I also don't want to be tied down to a company job right now. After all, Dr. Diggers said he'd start teaching me the basics of ice magic soon." It had come as a shock to her and to everyone else that Theo had informed them Nabiki had the ability to become an ice mage. He'd apparently spotted the potential in her on their first meeting.

When she finally understood, Nabiki was more than willing to learn more. While it wasn't his specialty, Theo knew enough to get her started and after that, if she decided to continue it, he would introduce her to an element mage of his acquaintance. Genn nodded and Kasumi gave her sister a one armed hug. More than anyone, Nabiki had suffered and sacrificed for the family. After all, Kasumi always liked what she was doing; it was the lack of choice and the lack of appreciation that rankled. Nabiki had to sacrifice her dreams of a normal life, her time and her honor starting up her businesses to pay for the families needs. Now she had taken steps away from that world and into the future on her own terms.

Their happy feelings faded quickly once they arrived home.

* * *

end chapter

Next chapter Jade gets to see Ranma and Ranma gains yet another rival, though how serious this one is remains to be seen...


	10. Chapter 9 Into Jade

I do not own Ranma or Gold Digger

OK, because I have seen several reviews and received five pms about it, i have put up a poll for adding Brit to the harem, you have until they leave for Aebra (3 chapters, maybe four?) to cast your vote. It can go either way.

in this chapter the city of Seer's Hamlet gets a taste of Ranma, and he gets a taste of Jade, right in the kisser. Hope you all can spot my Looking for Group homage inside.

* * *

**Chapter 9 Into Jade:**

Ranma and Dr. Diggers arrived in the middle of a large central training area, its walls lined with a few weapons and several practice dummies. This was the main training hall of the Edge Guard, a special government sponsored adventuring group comprised of several were-cats of different types.

Two of these were there to welcome the newcomers. Onoli and Gaja, leaders of the Northern Edge Guard bowed respectfully to Dr. Diggers, looking at Ranma quizzically. "Greetings old friend. I take it that this is the young man you mentioned." Theo nodded, grasping Gaja's hand firmly as Ranma nodded hello. "I regret to inform you however that our meeting will be delayed a few hours. Jetelle and Tia could not make it this early, so I took the liberty of rescheduling it to this evening. I have something to discuss with you anyway so this worked out well."

Dr. Diggers shrugged. "very well. Ranma, I want to introduce you to Onoli and Gaja of the Edge guard, friends of mine. Onoli do you think…." Dr Diggers was interrupted by a loud crash, followed immediately by a woman screaming in rage. The two werecats both blanched visibly, nearly shivering in terror. Dr. Diggers cocked his head quizzically at them and Ranma….

Ranma grinned. _That sounds like fun. _The aqua-transsexual turned to the older man. "Don't worry about me. I think I'll find something to do." He left quickly, leaving behind the older men. They all looked at one another, then another loud feminine scream came. "Super-mega ultra kapoowee!"

As one the men nodded and left the building quickly, seeking out a calmer place to talk.

* * *

Sheila of the Edge Guard was pissed. There were no words to describe how pissed she was. First several local bandit groups had banded together and were terrorizing the countryside. The Edge Guard had been trying for weeks to hunt them down without success. Every time they came close or tried to draw them into a trap, the bandits somehow found out about it and escaped.

Second, it was her time of the month! She was a werejaguar, and female were-creatures monthly's were notoriously bad. And her brother had forgotten to pick up her supplies, those rare herbs that calmed her down enough to almost be human without the need to rip people's heads off and spit down their throats!

She stood over his trembling form ready to administer justice, her sword Ice Fang in her hands. Garfield looked up in terror, his hands together, pleading for mercy, but there was none in his sister's face.

Luckily for him, a voice from the stairs up to the training hall interrupted his execution. "You, know, from the looks of you two I'd say you're related, so what'd he do ta piss you off so much?"

Sheila turned and shot a glare at the newcomer, which bounced off his smirk. Shiela's glare stopped almost as soon as it began, seeing a perfect stranger, a young human male about her own age standing there rather than one of her teammates. She looked away from Gar, keeping him in the corner with her sword as she turned to face the newcomer.

He walked forward, and Sheila blinked at how smooth and graceful his movements were. Now she really looked at him, and it was all she could do to not drop Ice Fang in shock.

The young man before her was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. His black hair was tied back in a small ponytail, black silk shirt and pants that did nothing to hide the firm, supple musculature beneath. He had a handsome face dominated by the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen and radiated power like a light house much like Onoli but even more so.

* * *

Ranma looked at the cute were(jaguar? Ranma wasn't certain, not having met many werecreatures before) standing over what had to be her brother. She was the shortest wereperson he had seen, but she was lithe, obviously athletic, and the way she held her sword steadily (not to mention the far larger dude cowering like a rabbit underneath it) told him she was a fighter. _And those jaguar spots that look like freckles make her damn cute!_ A thought he would never have allowed himself to have in Nerima came easily to him now. It wasn't like he'd ever act differently than normal or dream of doing anything about it after all.

He held out his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I'm Ranma, I just came from Earth with Dr. Diggers. Mind telling me what's wrong? If you want I can hold him down for you."

It must be said at this point that Ranma had very little contact with siblings in his life. In fact, the only siblings he had ever met before moving in with the Diggers were the Tendo sisters, the Kuno siblings and the Amazon twins, Link and Pink. So he had no way of knowing if wanting to kill your sibling was a normal brother/sister thing. Given how Akane had nearly killed Nabiki a time or two as well as Kasumi a few times (making Kasumi eat her cooking counted as aggravated assault at least), how Pink and Link regularly fought each other when they weren't attacking Shampoo and how Kodachi attacked her brother and vice versa on a daily basis, it made perfect sense to him. The Diggers were an exception to the rule obviously, though he had heard that Brianna had tried to kill her sisters a few times...

The woman growled, tail twitching, and Ranma had to fight the urge to jump on it like a piece of string. "I'm Sheila." The woman radiated anger almost like Akane, but without the telltale ki residue that showed it was a regular occurrence and without the large ki reservoir, though from what Ranma could see what was there was decent for a normal person and far more controlled than Akane's had ever been. "Gar _forgot_" she past the word "some… supplies I need."

As she turned away, Gar was up like a shot, using all the skill he had learned from Julia Diggers to escape like a bat out of hell. Ranma blinked at this masterful display of the Saotome Secret Technique, before he moved forward, only to stop abruptly, eyes going wide for a second.

Sheila herself turned back swiftly and tried to go after him but a gentle yet immovable grip on her arm stopped her.

Ranma had stepped close enough for his neko enhanced senses to let him smell Sheila's scent. When he did he almost panicked, realizing what it was. _Oh, shit, if she's anything like Akane when her time hits, this will be bad, very bad._ Ranma mentally shook his head and once again did something that would have shocked everyone back in Nerima: he thought about a non martial arts problem.

Ranma shook his head, letting go of the girl as she turned on him with a snarl on her pretty face. "Um, okay. Before ya kill him, can I talk to ya for a bit, I might be able to, er, help. If I can't I'll help ya hunt him down okay?" He put his hands together and bowed in supplication.

Sheila growled low in her throat, but the honest concern on the man's face stopped her from lashing out immediately. "Fine, but this better be good or I'll kapowee you first."

Ranma nodded, pulling at his pigtail nervously. "Um, it'll be easier if I show you. Do you have any cold water?" Sheila blinked at the odd request but led the way into the kitchen, momentarily disarmed by the odd situation.

Once there, Ranma filled a glass of water from the spigot. He set it down in front of the table, puling nervously at his pigtail again as Sheila paced in front of him, still carrying her sword loosely in one hand. The energy that thing was giving off was making Ranma very nervous. _ It's not as powerful as the Genjikata_,_ but I definitely don't want to be on the wrong side of it_. "I guess I'll start at the beginning. First I have a curse. I got it at a place on Earth and it is a shape changing curse."

Sheila stopped pacing and looked at him intently, still wondering where this was going. "I'm not the only one who has a curse, 'cause each pool had a different one, like panda, cat and the like. But I turn into" here Ranma tipped the cold glass of water over his head "a girl."

Sheila gaped as the handsome black haired young man turned into a curvaceous petite redhead. _If Tirga ever sees her he'll be all over her. Jeeze, she's almost as stacked as my human form, and on that short body, what a combination!_ Sheila felt something stir inside her for a moment, before Ranma's bashful words drew her attention back to him. "Er, and, I, I'm a fully functional girl. So I know what you're going through right now." The red head blushed brightly as she said that reaching into one of her pockets.

Sheila blanched as the implication of that statement hit home through her hormonal imbalance like a cannonball through paper. _What the hell must it be like for a guy to go through this?_

She of course did not know the half of it. The emotional and mental corruption Genma had driven into Ranma to be a man had nearly broken him when he got the curse, and again when he discovered it was fully functional. Only Kasumi's calm acceptance had prevented Ranma from killing himself that first morning.

Sheila visibly calmed down, but she still looked confused. "How the hell do you know I'm having my period?"

Ranma took out a medicine bottle and a few sanitary supplies. "Er, I got a martial arts technique which gives me the enhanced senses of a cat. I'll tell you about it later if you want, but I, I kinda smelled it. Sorry."

Sheila just shrugged at that. It was the same reason Tirga made himself scarce the instant her time hit so she was okay with it. _And at least Ranma's sympathizing with me rather than looking grossed out at the smell and coming up with excuses to get away from me like he does._ "Okay, I understand you know my pain, but what are those?"

Ranma pointed at the objects on the table between them. "This is Midol, a type of pill that helps women deal with the pains of their period and these…" Ranma blushed again, going nearly as red as her hair "these are to go, um, down below. They, um they…" the aqua-transsexual faltered mumbling and blushing.

Sheila looked at them, and picked them up. "I think I understand. I'll be right back." Ranma nodded, still blushing.

A few minutes later Sheila returned. "I think I put them on right. They go underneath and hook over the sides of your panties yes?" Ranma flushed again, but nodded. Sheila returned to the table and took three of the Midol pills and swallowed them with a glass of water.

Shiela looked at the blushing redhead, pleased to note that Ranma's female form was an inch shorter than her own pintsized hybrid form. "How long does this medicine take to work?" She was feeling already better. Being able to move freely again without worry and having someone sympathetic around was doing wonders for her attitude. _Oh sure, my friends stand by me and are perfectly willing to tackle any monster, villain or crisis with me, but the moment it turns into a problem of a feminine nature they bolt for the hills, even my own brother, the swine..._

Ranma looked up, blush clearing at last. "They normally kick in about thirty minutes or so. I don't know how long it'll take for it ta kick in on a werewoman. Brit and Brianna ain't had theirs yet since I've been livin' with them, and I don't have a female were-form."

"That makes sense. Wait, female were-form, does that mean you have another curse or something?"

Ranma sighed. "It's a long story." She looked around as Sheila led the way back into the lounge, reaching back into his hidden space pocket for his ever present thermos of hot water. She pushed out with her ki sense and stopped in the motion of opening it, frowning as his senses registered the lack of other people around. "Aren't there other girls here? I mean, back home this time is always easier with company."

Sheila paused, looking down at the ground. "I'm the only woman in the Northern Edge Guard actually. And I don't have any real female friends, acquaintances yeah, but no friends. And the guys always make themselves scarce. I don't really blame them; periods are no fun for weres."

Ranma looked at her standing there, loneliness almost rippling off her in waves, and back to his thermos. He then did something that would have had Akane calling him a pervert and Genma attacking him for acting like a little girl instead of a man. He stoppered the thermos and stuffed it back inside his hidden space pocket. "Well, if ya don't mind I can hang out with ya, that is if you don't got nothin' better to do."

Ah, the joys of having Genma as your father, the complete lack of social skills truly made for an interesting challenge when trying to express yourself. "I'd like ta look around a bit while I'm here though, Doc Diggers is going to be busy until this evenin' anyway."

Sheila looked at the young man turned girl and smiled shyly. "I think I'd like that, Ranma. Thank you." Ranma blushed again at how cute she looked as Sheila smirked. "And maybe while I show you around town, you can tell me that long story of yours." She grinned mischievously as Ranma groaned aloud. "I'm certain it's just as… interesting as your curse."

* * *

Over the next four hours, Sheila and Ranma explored Seers Hamlet while getting to know one another. Sheila was happier than she could remember being in a long time. Not only was Ranma fun, she was lively, attentive, and extremely understanding of her own problems. Ranma saw no problem with her birth defect, and did not look down at her for being so short. Her/his own life, what little Ranma shared of it, made Sheila's life seem easy in comparison. Not normal or without hardship, but she had the one thing that Ranma had yearned for but only recently gained: a caring family and understanding friends, which made everything else easier to deal with.

Sheila also loved watching the redhead have fun, it made everything around them seem new and interesting. Ranma's flirting technique to get them free food at some of the stalls also had her rolling on the ground laughing. And the medicine and products Ranma had given Sheila were doing wonders for her disposition. She was in no pain now, and the thing, the tampon allowed her the full range of movement without any discomfort or leakage.

Ranma herself was really enjoying being around Sheila. Like Brianna, she was a fighter and adventurer. Maybe a few years ago the idea of a tough female fighter would have seemed an oxymoron to him. That was before Kasumi and Nabiki proved how tough women could be outside of fighting. Now, she simply enjoyed Sheila's company. She was funny, nice, her adventures were interesting to listen to, and the problems she had with her birth defect reminded him of his own problems with the Jusenkyou curse.

Moreover, the city around him fascinated him. He had never really liked Tokyo, Shanghai or any of the other big cities he stayed in during his training with Genma. Mostly because they were simply too large, and the people seemed like automatons or worse, so far removed from nature and sometimes each other.

The people here were so different from in any city back home, far more diverse, far more open, even if the number of individuals carrying weapons was a sign that this world was more dangerous than earth. He was a little leery about some of the magic he was seeing, but for the most part, he was enjoying himself.

The only thing missing was … "Hey Sheila, do you know where any good ice cream shops are?"

Sheila looked at her shorter companion, smirking as a male barbarian tried to get grabby behind the redhead before finding himself flipped and tossed twenty feet into the air without the redhead seeming to move, or even notice him at all. "What's ice cream?"

Ranma stopped and stared at Sheila, shock and horror crossing her features. "You mean you've never had ice cream before? Sheila, let me tell you, you haven't lived until you try chocolate ice cream." Ranma went on to describe ice cream in glowing detail about the number of flavors it could come in, leaving out her own first reaction to chocolate ice cream. The fact that it had put her in a taste-induced coma for fifteen minutes was not something she wanted anyone to know about.

Sheila ate up the description, asking questions about different flavors and wondering if she could somehow find a way to go back to earth realm with Ranma and Dr. Diggers. She knew this ice cream would be impossible to make here, they just didn't have the skill set or the tools.

Their culinary discussion carried them out of the center of the city and into the outskirts, dominated by temples, private homes and dojos rather than markets, eateries, bars and guild halls. Ranma stopped suddenly, causing Sheila to look back at her. The redhead was looking at a sign, marking the dojo of weaponsmaster Karia. "You mind if we stop here for a bit Sheila? I wanta see if this Karia would be up for a spar."

Sheila shrugged. "I doubt she'll want to spar with you Ranma, but you could probably get some of her students to."

Ranma nodded, taking out her thermos. "You mind? Only, I prefer to be in my male bod for first impressions."

Sheila shrugged then blushed hotly as Ranma changed back into his normal body. She had forgotten over the past few hours how handsome and… powerful his presence was. He was easily the most confident and virile man she had ever seen. She blushed, her eyes latched onto his ass as he walked into the dojo's training grounds.

Ranma scanned the open space before him, taking in the dozens of sparring pairs, noticing with an inward sneer of derision that they were all fighting in a set space, and that none of them were more than average. The two individuals standing to one side however were another matter. The human man he judged was at least at journeymen level, about Genma's level with the sealed techniques, well above his rivals and fiances in Nerima. The other, a dark skinned, powerfully built elf woman was giving off nearly the same amount of ki as Cologne or Happosai. Not quite up to Master Julia's level, but it had some weird variations to it that he had never seen before. He walked over to stand before her, not noticing how a few of the female dueling pairs had stopped and stared as he passed.

"Weapons master Karia? My name is Ranma, and I wish the honor of a spar with you." Just because he didn't care for propriety didn't mean Rama was either an idiot or impolite, without reason anyway. One of the major changes in his style since coming to Atlanta was to stop taunting his opponents, which was a main staple of Saotome style Anything Goes. And Kasumi had been drilling him in formal speech and when to use it.

Karia of the dark elves sized up the young man standing before her, face impassive despite an urge to gape in shock. She could feel the life energy radiating off him like a supernova, and his movements were controlled, coordinated to a degree she had rarely seen. _They remind me of Julia's style, but not quite. Still, someone as young as he is can't be __**that**__ good, despite the amount of life force he's giving off._ "If you can beat one of my students, I will consent to a match with you, but not before you tell me your style."

Ranma nodded, moving over to an empty sparring circle. "My style was formerly called the Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling. I haven't actually thought up a name fer my own style yet."

Karia raised an eyebrow at someone so young thinking himself skilled enough to start their own fighting style, but waved one of her mid-level students forward.

Jarrod Diputshctib was a twenty-four year old human male, six four, with bulging muscles and handsome countenance who had trained under master Karia for three years and was one of her most promising students. Today he had come in at last prepared to challenge for his journeymen rank. He was also in love, or more accurately in lust, with master Karia. In fact, his not so secret plan was to ask her out once he became a journeymen. The fact that everyone else knew about his affection and that he had no chance with the dark elf did not enter his admittedly tiny mind.

Now, Jarrod stepped forward, ready to put this cocky little punk in his place. _This will be a proper start to my day. Next I'll take my journeymen test, and then tonight master Karia and I…._ Jarrod had to bite back his lecherous chuckles as he took his place in the training ring. The idea that she might say no never occurred to him, and the idea that he may not pass his test was unthinkable. Needless to say, he did not take Ranma seriously.

Ranma bowed before stepping back in the non-stance that he knew pissed off his enemies back in Nerima. It did the same here.

Jarrod moved forward, throwing a dozen combinations, intending to overwhelm his enemy quickly.

Ranma simply dodged in place, not wanting to give Karia any hint about how mobile his style was. _Jeeze this guy's slow. _After about a minute, he lashed out tapping his opponent on the side of the neck, his forehead and chest before Jarrod could even blink, each blow tapping a critical point. He stepped back, knowing any one of those blows would have been incapacitating at the very least.

Jarrod was incensed. Here he was at the journeymen level and this young whelp didn't even acknowledge his skills and refused to fight fair, just dodging like a coward. He snarled angrily, stepping forward again, but was brought up short by the voice of his master/crush. "Enough. I have seen more than enough."

Jarrod turned. "But master, those blows were hardly pinpricks, they"

Are you a fool Jarrod?" Growled journeymen Sahftil, as Karia dropped her cloak, moving forward to take Jarrod's place shaking her head as she did at his poor display. "If young Ranma had wished any of those blows would have crippled you."

Jarrod growled but subsided at the look of pity and sympathy in his master's eyes. He turned, walking away swiftly before he broke down completely. _Damn you Ranma, I will have my revenge for this humiliation! _Thus, Ranma's chaotic aura worked its horrible magic.

* * *

Ranma grinned across at Karia as they bowed, before launching into an attack, hoping to surprise her. To the side all of Karia's students and Sheila watched in awe at the speed of the attack and Karia's response.

For ten minutes, the two traded blows assessing each other's reactions and training. Ranma thought he detected a bias and moved to exploit it, jumping into the air and delivering a series of amiguriken speed kicks to her chest as she over extended on a low kick, sending her flying out of the circle with enough force to impact on the far wall of the training ground.

Karia shook her head to clear it and charged back in. A minute later Ranma impacted on the same wall, making an indent right next to the one caused by Karia. He didn't even acknowledge the impact, pushing off swiftly and meeting Karia's charge. She was surprised by his resilience, but dodged, taking only a glancing blow to her side.

Now the spar began in earnest. Karia and Ranma moved, dodged, jumped, kicked and punched from one side of the training ground to another, scattering the onlookers. Sheila and the others quickly retreated to the corners of the training area, still watching the match avidly.

The battle was a study of contrasts. Both were fast and mobile, but there the resemblance ended. Karia was mobile, but never left the ground. Ranma spent most of the time airborne, using his own strength and his opponent's attacks to launch himself there and stay there, flummoxing many of the grappling techniques Karia usually used. Karia was heavily offensive, not bothering to block or dodge most shots, relying on her magic enhanced body for defense as she concentrated on landing punishing blows, though she was beginning to regret this. Her magic infused body was equal to even a fellow weaponsmaster's hits, but the thousands of Amiguriken speed punches of her opponent, which acted as a single punch, were something else altogether. _He's not very strong, but that speed technique is a killer. And his style is so chaotic I can't get a hang of it. Every time I do, it changes to something else!_ Her magic infused body was already sporting several bruises, and her face was sporting a shiner.

In retaliation, Ranma had only been tagged a few times, though he had been thrown often. He was sore, but that was all. His style was based off constant movement and dodging, with rapid response, analysis and assault mixed in.

Karia realized she was slowly losing. _ I should never have underestimated him enough to take him on barehanded._ Her style was based more on her sword and shield than she had previously realized, and the rust was showing on her hand to hand skills. _Time to up the ante._ She swiftly twisted her wrist grabbing Ranma's flickering fist and threw him over her shoulder, getting some distance. She inhaled, gathering her mana and slashing her hand forward. "Mana bolt!"

Ranma answered by throwing his arms forward, throwing out his own ki attack. "Moko Takabashi!"

The attacks impacted on one another and exploded. The explosion enveloped both combatants, throwing the lighter Ranma away like a rag doll. Karia was smashed to the ground as the onlookers looked on in shock.

Ranma got up slowly, his ki reserves heavily depleted from shielding himself from the explosion. His clothing was ripped and torn, his body bruised and he was bleeding from several cuts on his exposed chest and legs.

The onlookers were aghast at the damage the dojo had sustained, as well as the fact that both fighters were getting back up and seemed ready to continue.

Karia pushed herself to her feet, stunned by the explosion. _What caused that, the energy was based on life energy, but I've never seen an attack that focused. Why did the attacks explode like that though?_

She let go of her mana tap, allowing her body to revert to her unaltered form for the first time in centuries, giving herself some more speed and healing ability in return for losing much of her strength and staying power. Her students looked on in shock as the now smaller, yet far more agile and speedy Karia regained her footing and stood to face her opponent.

Ranma blinked, then blushed a bright red, standing back and looking down at the ground. Karia's mage armor had taken a pounding, and with her reversion to her other form, it no longer covered much…

Karia blinked at his reaction, looked down at herself and grinned. _All's fair in love and sparring!_ She stepped forward, making certain to jiggle as much as she could, enjoying (possibly a little too much), Ranma's growing distress until she was within striking range. She lashed out, kicking Ranma in the stomach and then upper cutting him to the chin before bringing an elbow forward intent on smashing his face.

Ranma found himself once more in the air, and responded without conscious thought. He twisted, avoiding Karia's follow on blows, and struck back, smacking her arm aside and scoring on her face. _Just keep your eyes on her face, just keep your eyes on her face_.

The two traded blows again, Ranma staying in the air the entire time. Another fifteen minutes passed. Much to her consternation, Karia realized she was still losing ground here. Her blows did not have the stopping power as they had reinforced by her mana supply, and her speed increase was not enough to offset Ranma's. _Have to get tricky then. _She tapped into her slowly refilling mana core and channeled some into her fists. This time, when one of her punches flashed by, its mana corona struck instead, shocking Ranma and sending him sideways away from the blow as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt.

Ranma shook his head groggily for a minute before smiling happily and launching his own ki infused attack back at her. Again the two were deadlocked for a few minutes as the onlookers continued to watch unable to turn away. Sheila especially was surprised at how well her friend was doing. _Karia may be known more for her swordsmanship than her hand to hand skills but she's still a Weaponsmaster, one of the Twelve, and here's Ranma someone a little younger than me, holding his own against her!_

Ranma himself was having the time of his life. This was what he lived for, what The Art truly was meant for. Two combatants, masters of their forms fighting one on one, not for gold, morals or anger, but for the sheer joy of it. His body was bruised, sore and battered, his ki reserves dwindling every time his opponent got one of those mana infused punches through and his speed dropping with it. He was being pushed to his limits, and he loved it.

It had been a long time since Karia had last had a match like this. Young Ranma was pushing her harder than anyone had since she became a Weaponsmaster. She was bruised, battered and loving it. Rashly she decided to up the ante again and see if the intriguing young man could again match her. She dropped to one knee, rolled, came up with her hands together, and "flame Quake!" A flaring wave of fire rocketed out of her hands toward her opponent.

Ranma punched his own attack forward, having waited for this. "Moko Ha Reiku!" Rather than a sphere of blue energy a beam of ki, gold in color, shot out and impacted. The onlookers had already dived for cover as the two much larger and more powerful attacks impacted just as the previous special attacks had done.

Ranma and Karia had both forgotten what had happened before when ki met mana. The same thought flashed through both their minds. _Oh shit!_

The explosion this time was **much** larger. The ground shook and rumbled, the outer walls distended and blew outwards as the onlookers were slammed every which way by the shockwave. Pedestrians all over the city heard the explosion and automatically looked toward the alchemist's guild for a few moments before disinterestedly going about their business.

Karia and Ranma were literally blown away. Ranma was picked up like a rag doll, impacting on a nearby roof with enough force to shatter the tiles. Karia, having been on the ground to begin with, was blown backwards through several of her dojo's support columns and into the far wall of the novice quarters on the other side. She was unconscious before her short journey ended.

After the explosion subsided, Sheila and the others woozily got to their feet and looked around, shocked and appalled by the damage to the dojo. Journeymen Sahftil moved forward swiftly, looking for any sign of the combatants. "Master Karia, where are you?" The trainees and apprentices moved forward as well shouting for their master.

Sheila was more concerned for her new friend. She started calling his name in a panic. "Ranma, are you alright, shout if you can hear me?"

Ranma slowly pushed himself to his feet, shuffling forward on all fours to the edge of the rooftop. "Sheila" he croaked, barely loud enough for his own ears to hear.

Luckily thanks to her enhanced jaguar hearing Sheila heard him and looked up, face blossoming into a relieved grin. "Ranma!"

The other searchers all stopped to look up at him as Ranma stared back down exhausted and battered. _She really looks cute when she smiles like that._ He looked around slowly, searching for Karia. Not finding her, he muttered in a slightly louder voice. "Well, I guess that means I win." With that, Ranma fell forward, exhaustion catching up with him, as he plunged over the side of the roof. Sheila leaped forward, and caught him before he hit the ground.

She looked around at the others. Sahftil shooed her away. "Go on Sheila. Get him to Nali's hospital. If he lived no doubt master Karia is around here somewhere. We'll find her."

"But..." Sheila jerked her head to indicate the damage done to the dojo. "What about all this?"

Sahftil laughed. "Don't worry about it. We have a longstanding contract with one of the construction guilds. 30 percent off any repairs and we tell everyone which guild we use. And don't worry about any sore feelings here. Karia was having the time of her life against your young friend, I could tell by that slightly manic smile she was wearing. Go on, we'll be in touch later."

Sheila bowed awkwardly and ran off down the street, carrying Ranma away. Sahftil turned back to searching for his master still chuckling at the amount of damage the two fighters had done. _My brother is going to be very pleased with the business his guild is going to get today._

end chapter

thus we have sheila's intro to Ranma as well as a look at where Ranma would rate in terms of skill In Jade. The Weaponsmaster is taken from the comic books, the part where Seance wanted to bulk up, though i don't know if I got her name right. Next chapter, the mage council dissects Ranma and Ranma continues to make impressions.


	11. Chapter 10 Mage council, mysteries and

I don't own Ranma or GD.

I have to say the results of the poll is amusing so far, but so are the PMs I'm getting in defense of not breaking up Strype/Brittany, and I have to say that the PM's are convincing me far more than the votes. One especially brought up a point about Brit being possessive and not willing to share. Now while there is a bit of magic explained in this chapter to explain why the idea of sharing is so, not easy, but an option to the girls with Ranma, but the point is a really good one. Still, keep them coming, as I said you have until they leave for Aebra to convince me one way or the other. Any review or pm that is well thought out will count as five votes in the poll.

I will also possibly not be able to update on Wednesday, as I am not happy with the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 10 Mage Council, mysteries, and curiosity killing someone  
**

Karia awoke to a blinding headache. After a moment, her eyes began to work without pain and she opened them fully. Recognizing the ceiling as that of her own room, she breathed a sigh of relief. _At least some of my dojo is still standing._ She began to recall the fight, and winced as she realized she had stupidly made the same mistake twice. _Still, why in the world did our attacks react like that? I have seen ki attacks and spells intersect before, and nothing like that has happened before! What is it about that young boy's life energy that makes spells go __**insane**__?_

Now she was paying for it. Her body was sore beyond belief, she had at least two broken ribs, and she could feel that her mana reserves were nonexistent; barely enough to reform her war-mage body, and nowhere near enough to sustain it for longer than a few seconds. _It'll take a while to get my reserves up to where they were before, but maybe that's a good thing. I seem to have been relying on my mage skills and war mage body too much of late. _Karia thought ruefully. _Once I get back on my feet I will have to rectify that._

A gruff voice brought her attention back to the world around her. "So, awake at last are we. You've been unconscious for four hours master." Karia turned her head toward the left, where the familiar voice had come from.

Sahftil sat there, a small book balanced on his knee. She blinked owlishly at him. "Did I win?" She croaked.

- Sahftil laughed, beard quivering in his mirth. "No, no I don't think so. The young man you fought was still conscious and able to speak for a few minutes after the explosion before he joined you in la-la land, so technically he won. My brother thanks you for the business by the way."

Karia groaned aloud, thinking how much it had cost her the last time to rebuild her dojo. Sahftil went on mercilessly. "Also remember, you have that mage council meeting to attend tonight. You have about three hours to get yourself presentable." Karia groaned again, and Sahftil laughed, enjoying this immensely.

Karia turned away from her oldest student with a huff of anger. Soon though, her thoughts went back to the fight and the young man she had been fighting. _Ranma_._ It has been a long time since I had a match that exceptional. For one so young to be that skilled, what kind of trials has he gone through? You intrigue me Ranma, and it has been even longer since a man has done that. I think I want to know more about you._ She grinned, a slow sensual curve of her mouth, remembering his cute blush and shy reaction to her unenhanced body during the match _and the fact that you are possibly the hottest male I have ever seen does not help your case at all. Look out world, for the first time in four hundred years Karia man-hunter is on the prowl again! Only this time, I have a veeeerrry specific target. Oh yes._

Stahfil looked at her askance has she began to chuckle darkly. _That can't be good._

* * *

Ranma groaned aloud, sitting up in an unfamiliar bed, a little sore and his ki reservoir drained to about a tenth of its original strength. "Ugh, got to remember, ki and whatever that was don't mix. Was it magic? Seemed way different than anything the old ghoul or Happosai did, way more primal."

Before he could analyze the fight further a wild Sheila beast glomped him. "Jeeze, Ranma don't scare me like that. You were out for a long time, I was so worried, Nali said your life energy was nearly gone!" Ranma blushed hotly as she continued to berate and hug at the same time. Being hugged like this was still not something he was really used to, especially from cute girls, and even more especially in public. He hesitantly put his arms around her, comforting her.

They were interrupted by a loud roar coming from his stomach. Sheila broke down, laughing so hard her sides hurt as Ranma sheepishly twiddled his fingers, looking down at the ground and blushing in embarrassment.

"Why don't I get something for us to eat okay?" Sheila said, pushing herself off the bed. "And then, you can give me some more of those magical pills of yours and another one of those tampie things. I need to change out."

Ranma blanched, but pulled out the requested supplies from hidden weapon space, putting them on the table next to his cot. Sheila came back with a large plate of food, mostly sandwiches and slices of meat, with a few vegetables. Ranma could see a twitching heap of black fur for a moment before Sheila could close the door. He shrugged, deciding it was none of his business. The black lump was actually Thropan, who had tried to make fun of Sheila's doting on the invalid Ranma, and been kapowied for it.

For her part Sheila was just glad her new friend was up and about. Thropan's innuendo had simply been badly timed, what with the magic Midol having worn off, and her thingie giving out. Still she was in a much better mood now that Ranma was awake.

Ranma picked up a glass of water from the tray, tilting it inquiringly. Sheila thought for a minute then nodded. She really did not want to be around any guy at the moment, not until the mighty Midol kicked in again, not even one as nice and good looking as Ranma.

Ranma grinned reassuringly at her before tipping the cold water over his head, initiating the change. Again, he had long gotten used to his curse, even welcoming it in some ways, so he had no problem being a girl for his new friend.

The two talked throughout the meal, Sheila eventually wringing the story of the neko-ken out of Ranma, as well as a slightly more detailed story about his curse. When she got over her horror at a father doing that to his own son she asked "So originally this technique made you act like a cat? What exactly did you do?"  
Ranma shrugged. "Cat stuff I guess. Chase people, climb trees, shred rocks like paper, play with string, rip giant holes in buildings, that sort of thing."

Sheila laughed thinking he was exaggerating. "Sounds like fun. I can't remember the last time I had simple fun like that. In the city, we always have to act as human as possible. Sometimes I just want to escape from it all, go back to when I was a cub and have fun like a cat again you know." She sighed wistfully.

Ranma cocked his head for a moment thinking. _My ki levels are back to 'normal' not full but enough, and my body seems pretty healed, enough to move around with. I guess I could see if I can get in touch with my neko side a bit more._ Ranma had noticed he was more catty than in Nerima right after moving to the Diggers, but he normally repressed it. Now he reached inside his psyche and let his inner cat out to play.

Sheila's eyes widened in surprise as Ranma suddenly sat up, moving back on her haunches like a house cat. The redhead cocked her head at her. "Mreow?"

Sheila giggled at what she thought was an act for a second, until Ranma batted her on top of her head. She glared at him and Ranma skittered a few feet away. Sheila looked at her friend for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. She moved forward around the cot, and Ranma bounced forward, smacking her head lightly, before moving away again. She glared again at Ranma's unrepentant expression.

Slowly, Sheila began to smile. "So the little kitty wants to play?" Ranma chirped agreement. Sheila thought about it for a few seconds and then smiled, a wide happy smile, before transforming into her full werejaguar form. She shook off her clothes and bounded over to Ranma smacking her on the shoulder gently.

Ranma meowed happily. Her new friend did want to play after all! Neko-Ranma loved to play. Sheila jumped up to a window ledge, and looked back at Ranma invitingly. With a snarl/purr she jumped out. Ranma quickly followed after her. The chase was on.

* * *

Dr. Diggers smiled as the last two mages walked in taking their seats in the small half circle of the magical assembly hall he had rented out for the evening. This was not the ruling body of Jade, though it did number two of that councils numbers, it was simply the most knowledgeable masters of auras, gods, and curses that he could gather. They were also all good friends of both himself and his former master. He had also invited Weaponsmaster Karia and the Amazon representative Do-Jin to give a warriors perspective.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice. I come to ask you for help in deciphering a puzzle." He touched the large crystal laying in the center of a magic circle next to him, and with a flash a copy of Ranma's aura appeared in the air. Two more flashes and the auras and images of his other forms appeared next to one another, making it easy to compare all of them at once.

"This is a copy of the aura of one Ranma Saotome, a young man that has recently moved in with my family. I think that you can all see what the problem is."

Karia twitched at the name and the main image, looking at it intently. Do-Jin noticed her reaction, but stayed silent, gazing intently at the images before them.

From where he sat on the Amazons other side, the scroll master mage Akbar snorted in amusement. "You're right about that Theo. That has to be the most fucked up aura I have ever seen."

Archivist Tia of the council Librarium shook her head, awed by what she was seeing. "No kidding, is that five curses I see, or six? And what is that, two blessings? I recognize one as a familial blessing, but not its effect. And the other…" She snapped her fingers, and a thick tome appeared, falling into her lap with a thump. "The other I've seen somewhere before…" She fell silent, flipping through the Blessia Arcana, a magic tome that had a record of nearly every deific blessing ever seen on Earth or Jade.

"You might want to look up demonic or god related curses as well." Theo said, and began to give a brief background on Ranma.

As he was doing so, the married pair of Elven aura mages Andre and Riza stood up and began walking around the pictures, pointing out sections to one another as they communicated telepathically so as not to interrupt Theo's flow. When Dr. Diggers got to the description of the fight, he brought out the bracelet and held it out for all to see.

Item user Jetelle and Do-Jin both recognized it immediately. Do-Jin bounded forward from her seat, snatching it swiftly out of Theo's hands. 'How the hell did a male outsider get their hands on **this**!?"

Theo was nonplussed for a moment. "As I stated in the fight, it was not so much that he took it as it was placed on him. Might I ask what it is?"

Do-Jin may not have chosen to answer that, it was an Amazon treasure after all, but Jetelle had made his way over to stand by her. He stroked his long, white goatee pensively as he looked at the bracelet in Do-Jin's hands. "That is the Dragon's Scale. Legend tells us it was made by taking the life force of an Elder dragon and changing it into a metal somehow. While that is mere conjecture, what is known is that it employs the life force of the user to grant one wish. Let me hasten to add it is not one of those superficial make it yourself wishes. It grants the wish you want deep down, in the deepest part of your soul. There is no way to really control its powers. If you don't know what you want, you may never even notice it's effects. However the down side is that it takes so much life energy that it almost always kills the user."

Do-Jin nodded reluctantly. "That agrees with our own records. It was reported lost during the immigration to Jade. Who would have thought it was still around, let alone still useable and still held by the Amazons that stayed on earth? Remarkable." _And why,_ she thought darkly, _have they never shared the fact of its continued existence with us? We've spoken to one another many times, and the Scale could've been used several times in our history, especially in the Shadow War. What could have possessed them to keep it for themselves alone, and if they did so purposefully, what else are they hiding?_

Theo nodded thoughtfully before speaking, bringing Do-Jin back to the here and now. "I see, the Ryoga boy Ranma spoke of must have found out about the draining aspect, but not the rest. He presumably stole it from the Amazons and tried to use it on Ranma. The amazons joined the fight to retrieve it."

Do-Jin nodded again, "yes that matches with what I would do. I would try to get it back as quickly as possible before it could be used. Though why the Earth Amazons did not ask for it back or simply demand its return eludes me. Did this Ranma have previous dealings with them?"

Theodore grimaced internally. _ I hoped to avoid talking about Ranma's various… entanglements in Nerima, but it appears I have no choice. _ He began to tell them all he knew, which wasn't much outside the bare facts of Ranma's past issues and a few of the worst magical traps the Amazons had tried. Afterward he said, "I want to make it clear that from Ranma's perspective this Shampoo girl was little more than a nuisance, that in his eyes and the laws of most of the world as a whole she had no case whatsoever. I have no idea why she and this Cologne were allowed to chase after him so long without official reprisal. I need to stress that this is not like on Jade, where there are agreements between the other countries and the Amazons to cover husband hunting. They were clearly in the wrong."

Do-Jin nodded reluctant agreement. "Husband hunting is a time honored ritual, but from what you have told me their methods were deplorable. I will have to talk to this Ranma first before I make a decision however." _There's no way an Amazon Matriarch wouldn't know about international laws. Have our earth born cousins become so insular they simply don't care how they are viewed by the rest of the world? Or did she think this boy's seed worth the risk? Either way, how this Shampoo went about her hunt is deplorable. Especially since, if this Ranma was able to defeat her in both forms, his female form should have been offered the chance to join the tribe immediately._

Jetelle was still looking at the bracelet, puzzlement clear on his face above his goatee. "What I still don't understand is what wish was granted in the first place. And whatever it is, why did it then transform him to this other form you've shown us here?" He reached out, plucking the bracelet from Do-Jin's hand before she could react. "Thank you my dear." Jetelle moved over to stand in front of the werelion image, looking from it to the bracelet. A softly murmured incantation, and the bracelet began to glow slightly in his palm, and he seemed to concentrate on the color of the glow for a moment.

Do-Jin could have gotten angry, but instead she just shook her head and moved after him, chuckling to herself at the old man antics, distracted from her own increasingly angry thoughts for the moment.

Karia and Element mage Shion stood up as well, the former only reluctantly, given her injuries. Every mage was talking excitedly about the puzzle that Theo had brought them, but Karia could only stare in wonder at Ranma's werecat form. _He could have fought me in that form and beaten me easily. He was honorable enough, honest enough to fight me in human form man to woman. _She shivered, hands clenching and unclenching, fighting down a shocking amount of arousal as she thought of those blue eyes and handsome face. _Skilled, cute, and honorable!_ _Ranma, you interest me more and more. I can't wait until next we meet!_

"I've found it." Tia brought everyone's attention back to her with a triumphant shout. "The blessing I see is a blessing of Bastet, the goddess of cats, virility/fertility and protection. I assume that is in some way connected to the fading aura of the neko-ken berserk aura we see there. Did the young man ever tell you who taught him that by the way?" In the aged grandmotherly face of the recorder was a hard angry cast that few had ever seen there.

Theo looked at his fellow mage quizzically. "I believe he said that his father was the one to put him through the training, though he never told me what it consisted of. My daughter however passed on that it she considered it more a form of torture than a true martial arts technique."

Tia nodded grimly, and filled them in on how the neko-ken was taught and the normal outcome to those put through it, i.e. madness or death. "In all my years, this young man is the first I have ever seen to not come out of it either completely insane or crippled. The blessing I see may have shielded him somehow."

Theo and the others looked ill for a moment but the quirky Jetelle laughed aloud dispelling their horror. "That's it then." He turned to his peers, rheumy eyes gleaming in satisfaction. "The Dragon's vow took his deepest desire. It merged with this resurrection technique you said he tried and fused further with the ghost cats you mentioned he saw in the fight to create his new form. Look here." He pointed at two areas of the lion-forms aura, one a pale gray along the edge, the other a tiny dot of deep red centered in Ranma's brain box. Muttering a spell the light around the Dragons Vow shown brighter, its slightly green glow changing to a dull red. "The grey represents something elsewhen, something like the ghost cats he told you about from the fight. And the red represents the area touched by the use of the vow. Correct me if I'm wrong,** Doctor**, but this area of the brain is where memory, specifically primal fears and terrors are kept yes?"

Theo nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that is correct. So, that's part of the mystery solved. I have to wonder though why he seems to have such bad luck to have collected so many curses, strange blessings and odd occurrences in the first place. Mere chance alone does not seem to cover it."

Andre and Riza spoke up for the first time. "Neither luck nor chance have anything to do with it." Andre gestured at the male aura image and Riza began to point to corresponding places on the other two as her mate spoke. "This area of swirling colors here at the center of the chakra point for energy, the point for control and the outer edge, the area of aura intersection. All of them are far more chaotic, undisciplined then should be the case in anyone, even with all his curses and blessings interacting, regardless of the rest of the aura. It is the sign of a chaotic locus. I have only seen two others like this in my lifetime." It did not need to be said that as an elf that was a very long time indeed. His wife took up the thread of the discussion seamlessly. "Chaos is necessary to change, to evolve, and sometimes a living being or a place will become a chaotic locus, to create that change. He will attract chaos, he will be a chaotic tornado, and he will stand at the center, the reason for the chaos around him and the only hope of controlling it. The ancient Chinese curse given life."

Akbar snorted. "A spell over here from a scroll I can recognize, see the deep purple in the pattern around his skull in all these images? That is the sign of mallet psychosis, a classic attraction to large objects curse. It's an old scroll spell made by vindictive practical jokers. Simply swing a large blunt object at the person and no matter how good he is, he'll never be able to dodge or even block. Another two spells here, a trouble with women scroll, and a trouble with planning scroll. I wonder if the trouble with women scroll was used to counteract the attraction to women familial blessing. Certainly their interaction would have made any problem involving a woman that much worse. All of them are simple, common spells with long term effects on their target. I'd say someone or someone's plural wanted to get a bit of revenge on this young man, or more probably his father if the man is such a louse as you describe. All of these scroll spells can affect more than one target at a time. Yes, I definitely think chaos has made its mark on him."

Jetelle snorted from where he was still looking at the lion figure. "Trouble with women isn't the half of it." He turned an amused glance at Do-Jin and the other women present. "Look at his lion form and aura. It's not that of a normal werelion. I have no idea why, but his aura is that of a regular lion. And the difference between a werelion and a regular male lion is…" He looked at them expectantly.

Theo got it first, and shook his head at the old man's sense of humor. "He'll want to build a pride. Multiple women will react to him, and once his aura connects with their own, they'll be more open to sharing him with eachother without ever seeing anything wrong with it. Good grief." _No wonder Brianna and the Tendo sisters are so comfortable sharing him, Brianna especially._

Karia heard this and mentally shrugged her shoulders. She had no problems with sharing a piece of the pie, so long as she got a slice.

Shion physically shrugged her shoulders, still looking at the aura images in confusion. Polygamy wasn't uncommon in Jade, especially among the ancient races. She snapped her fingers, and her copy of Element-ary Auras fell into her hands, much like Tia's book had done earlier. _There is something missing from the aura images, and I can't quite place it. And I hate unsolved mysteries._

Akbar too shrugged his shoulders. "That's all very well, but you didn't come here just to ask for help in figuring out the young mans aura, but how to help him correct?" Theo nodded, and the ever-practical scroll user rubbed his hands together. "So lets get down to cases. You said we can't do anything about his Jusenkyo curse or his werelion form, and I have no doubt you are your usual accurate self there. But what about if we solve this scroll curse first?" The mages gathered around, manipulating the crystal to try to see what would happen if they tried to solve this or that problem with Ranma's aura.

* * *

Neko-Ranma bounded from one tree limb to another after the faster Sheila, purring happily. This was fun! Sheila too, was having a lot of fun; it had been far too long since she had allowed her inner jaguar out to play. The two of them had chased each other around the city and out into the forest. They had played catch the squirrel, climbed trees, roughhoused, and generally had a lot of fun, moving further away from Seer's Hamlet and deeper into the wilderness for hours at a speed that The Edge Guard would have found difficult to match. If they had travelled normally, Sheila estimated it would have taken them at least six hours to travel this far from Seers Hamlet.

Abruptly, the fun ended, as Neko-Ranma smelled something on the wind. Leaping down she stayed still for a moment, trying ti figure out where the Bad Scent was coming from. Sheila turned, watching her companion questionably. Not wanting to act normal and somehow ruin the fun, she growled interrogatively deep in her throat.

Neko-Ranma responded by meowing loudly and leading the way westward through the trees. Sheila followed, wondering what her friend was up to, and what she wanted from Bedelz River. It took them a few minutes to get there, because Ranma-neko stopped occasionally to sniff the air, and madecertain they were moving stealthily.

When they arrived they hid themselves in the underbrush looking out at the river, and what they saw made Sheila snarl just as much as Ranma. The Bad Smell was blood, and it was coming from right in front of them.

Three boats were tied up to the side of the river, and it was obvious what they being used for. Two of the boats were makeshift mobile cages, with a walkway all around them, and inside each cage were fifteen to twenty children of all ages, it was hard to tell from here. Some of them were injured, most of them were underfed, and all of them were werecats of various types or young girls of the other races. There were at least twenty guards as well, armed with a variety of weapons and three mages as well on the lead boat. Sheila stared hard at the scene, trying to figure out what to do. As she watched one of the mages tapped the forward ship, the one that didn't have a built in cage, and suddenly it started to shimmer and slowly disappear inch by inch.

Neko-Ranma was incensed. There were kittens and they were in pain and getting hurt by stupid two-feet! Well, she would see about that. With a snarl Neko Ranma bounded down the ravine and toward stupid two-feet! "MREOWWOEW!" Sheila blinked in shock, then swiftly turned into her werecat mode, and charged after him, cursing herself for having left Ice fang behind.

* * *

ToeRag was an apprentice mage who had run away from his master when his lessons hadn't gone fast enough to suit him. He wanted power, not endless lessons from the old man about what a mage couldn't and shouldn't do. It hadn't taken long for him to fall in with the Fellen Slavers. The slavers were always looking for more mages, as they specialized in kidnapping and enslaving were-beasts, who while stronger and faster than most humans or elves, were susceptible to magic, and made excellent merchandise for the slave markets.

Then too, he knew the spell Chameleon. It took a while, but eventually a wizard could make something disappear. This spell had allowed them to use the river to move around from one country to another and away. The slavers had just sacked a farmstead, and now they were going to turn around and head out into the empty lands. Toerag was looking forward to getting back to their base. One of the little Elfin girls had caught his eye and he was wondering if he should use some of his stowed away cash to buy her.

These happy thoughts were interrupted by a snarling yowl that caused every slaver to shiver and turn and gape as young redheaded girl bounded down the riverbed toward them on all fours. For a moment the slavers stood stock still, just taking in the odd sight. Then the redhead swiped her right hand forward like a cat, and suddenly the two foremost slavers fell down screaming, their armor, shredded, and one of them grabbing at where one of his arms had been. Behind her another woman, this time one known to ToeRag, came running after her.

As another guard fell down clutching at a stump that had been a leg ToeRag yelled out "It's the Edge Guard!" That was the last coherent thing he said for a while as suddenly the redhead was right in front of him, her arm smacking out, and ToeRag knew no more.

* * *

Sheila gawked at the amount of damage Ranma had done, then shook her head, grabbed up a fallen sword and joined the fight. She noticed that Ranma wasn't killing anyone, but that the wounds her claw attack was causing were horrendous. She parried a wild blow from a panicking slaver but both of them paused as Ranma smashed the cabins wall off the foremost ship before turning and smacking the last mage aside like a fly. Indeed the mage actually was lifted off the ground and flew through the air into the distance, his scream dopplering behind him. Sheila turned back to business and gutted her enemy before turning and taking on two more.

* * *

Neko-Ranma didn't want to kill this kitten hurting Two-Feet, that wasn't what a cat did. It was always better in her point of view to have an enemy that knew he was beaten. Hence her blows were designed to permanently maim, that way every two-feet there would always knew he had lost, and would be reminded about it every day. She paused momentarily when a male werecat appeared on the other bank, and bounded into the water, followed by several more of the same species. Several of the kittens began to make happy noises, and Ranma took a moment out of her chastiseing the two feet to slash at the cages the kittens were held in.

* * *

Sheila breathed a sigh of relief as the were-lions wade the river. Each of them were tall, strong and armed, and suddenly the fight the slavers had been losing badly (and she was still a little shocked about that) became a rout. Slavers began to throw down their weapons and plead for mercy, but Ranma didn't care, and continued to attack until Sheila pulled her friend away from them. "Easy Ranma, fights over, no need for any more." It took her a while but eventually Ranma calmed down. She wondered though why Ranma hadn't come out of whatever weird trance she was in when the fight began, but figured it didn't matter right now.

The werelions were quick to free the slaves, and Sheila and Ranma watched as families were reunited, and the other children taken back across the river to see a few healers on the other side. Six large were-lions, almost as lartge as Onoli stood over the cowed slavers while to other moved around the crippled, killing those who had lost too much blood and doing what they could for the others. After all, the more slavers they had to question the more information they could get. Another were-lion, this one female, walked over to them, her eyes straying to Ranma quizzically. "We thank you for the aid Sheila of the Edge Guard. We nearly lost them a time or two, and it was only the sound of the battle that led us to finding this scum again. But I have to ask, what is with your human companion?"

Sheila gulped. "Er, it's kind of a long story. I'll tell you about it if you ever come to Seer's Hamlet. We actually were only out here having fun when we found the slavers. If you can take them into custody a patrol will head out to you and take them off your hands. Where are you all from?"

"Moridin's prairie, this group hit two of our farmsteads near the river, they must have gotten arrogant to not cover their tracks, so we followed them. And I'll hold you to that explanation." She smiled oddly at Ranma, who had begun to playfully tug at Sheila's tail. Evidently now that the fighting was over and the children being looked after, she wanted to go back to playing. Sheila paused, her own feline instincts at war with her sense of duty. The female were-lion smiled. "Go on, we can take it from here. My names Allia, when you come to take them off our hands, come and find me. And" she smirked coquettishly, "Make certain that you bring Onoli with you. I haven't seen him in a while, and it would be good to see him again." Sheila smirked at that, knowing a story when she heard one, and agreed. With that she turned, changed into her full jaguar form and pounced on Ranma, who yowled happily. Sheila jumped off and away, with Ranma chasing after her, the thanks and well wishes of the were-lions and children ringing in their ears.

* * *

Back with the mages, the research group was just breaking up. After many hours of discussion, attempts and magical exploration, the group was forced to conclude they could only do a bit more than Theo already had. There were so many different things effecting Ranma's aura no cure all removal spell would work, and there was just no way to see how removing most of them would change it, whether for the good or the bad. They could do some good, especially with the scroll based curses, but that was the limits of what they were prepared to chance.

At last Theo, Akbar, Shion and Do-Jin bid goodnight to their fellows, who teleported away. The four of them made their way to the Edge Gaud barracks, where Ranma was supposed to meet up with Theo, each with questions they still wanted answered that night. Karia would have come with them, but her injuries were acting up, and all she wanted to do was crash for the night. She also had a lot to think about before she could start her hunt in earnest.

Sheila and Ranma reluctantly made their way back to the edge guard barracks. Sheila in particular was sad. _I haven't had this much fun since… Ever! Even with the fight with the slavers, this has been one of the best days I've had for a while. _ _I have __**got**__ to get Ranma back here in male form when I'm not on my monthly. Maybe then when we play catch the tail I'll let him catch me…_ That particular lecherous thought brought her up short. Wasn't she in love with Tirga? _But where was he when I needed support, where is he ever?_ _Simply jumping from one bed to another._ Ranma by his own admission may be a chaotic magnet and have a lot of girl problems in his past and several girls he was involved with now, but he would never lead a girl on or run after every piece of tail he could see. _If anything from the stories he was telling me about this Nerima place it's the other way around._

The two hopped to the barracks rooftop, Sheila slipping back into the infirmary and changing form before putting on her cloths and waving Ranma-chan in. The redhead bounded in, rubbing up against Sheila's stomach and purring like a race car engine. Sheila sighed, ignoring again that odd feeling in her stomach as she ran her fingers through her friend's silky red hair, and hoping that now they were back where their night began that she would come out of her trance. "It's time to go back to normal Ranma."

Ranma looked at her confused for a moment, before turning to gaze around her, taking in their surroundings. She shook her head a few times, and her eyes became lucid. Ranma stood up, stretching her arms above her head, accidentally thrusting her large chest toward Sheila, who blushed, that odd feeling again returning. Then paused as the memories of the slaughter of the slavers hit her, and she turned a little green around the gills. "Um…"

Sheila shook her head. "Don't worry about it Ranma, you weren't the one in control, and you saved those children from a fate worse than death. Trust me."

Ranma sat there for a moment controlling her gorge, but the memory of the kids in the cages allowed her to see that yes what she did was necessary to free them. After a moment she smiled. "So other than that did you have fun today, Sheila?"

Sheila grinned, banishing her blush. "You bet I did, and the fight was fun too. And I've never had that much fun in cat form ever!"

Ranma smiled back. "I'm glad."

A knock at the door drew their attention, followed by Theo's voice. "Ranma? I have a few associates here who want to ask you some questions. Thropan told us you would be in here."

Ranma answered in the affirmative and Sheila sat down on a bed nearby as Dr. Diggers and the others. Akbar immediately took out a scroll and muttered an incantation, pointing a finger at Ranma. "There, the foot in mouth disease curse and the mallet attraction spells are both removed. Now, if you will all excuse me." The bearded mage nodded cordially and left without a word, leaving Ranma and Sheila blinking in surprise.

Do-Jin and Shion laughed at their expressions as Theo shook his head. "Don't worry about Akbar he simply has a very controlling wife waiting for him at home." _She makes Julia or even her mother look tame by comparison, _he thought ruefully. "I'm surprised he showed enough courage to stay out as late as this in the first place." Do-Jin stood in front of Ranma. "My name is Do-Jin, and I am currently the Jaden Amazon tribe's representative to the ruling council. I have some questions for you about your dealings with the Earth Amazons."

Ranma shrugged. "Ask away, but I ain't gonna lie or sugarcoat it to save yer feelings or nothin'. If you side with 'em you're gonna be eatin' my dust." When in stressful situations, Ranma's speech tended to slip and any mention of his Amazon troubles put him on edge.

Do-Jin smiled, though she saw the truth in the statement. Ranma's whole body was coiled like a spring, ready for anything. Sheila of the edge Guard, who Do-Jin had met briefly a time or two before, also seemed to be ready for trouble. _Which is strange, given they have only known each other for a day at most. It seems that Jetelle was correct about his attracting women. _"First, let me ask, did this Shan Pu issue a verbal challenge to you before attacking you in your male form?"

Ranma answered promptly. "No. She attacked me right off the bat when I refused to tell her where my female form was." Ranma gestured at her body. "When she did she swung her bonbori at me. She woulda hit both Nabiki and Akane, two of the Tendo's, a family I was stayin' with at the time if I hadn't a stopped her. I kicked her maces head off, it came down, hit her on the head and knocked her out."

Do-Jin's eye widened. _Worse than I thought, not only was there no formal challenge but the way she was defeated was by luck not her opponent's hands. _"And not once did she issue a challenge to you?" Ranma shook her head. "And how do you feel about her?"

Ranma answered after a moment's thought. "I felt sorry for her. She's got all these laws she's gotta obey. When she first went back ta her village, she got turned into a cat. I didn't wanta have anythin' more happen because of me. You gotta understand though, Shampoo went from hunting me down to kill me to hunting me down to bed me, both because I beat her. She and Ku Lon then use dirty tricks, brute force and bribes ta try ta get me back ta China with 'em. The entire tribe came off as the world's worst sore losers ever. I ain't saying they didn't ever help out, but they always did so fer their own good, they never saw me as more than, than" Ranma halted, searching for the right word.

Sheila supplied it, face twisted in contempt. "Breeding stock?"

Ranma nodded. "That's it yeah. They only cared about getting my blood in the tribe and producin' girl warriors. Like that was all I was good for. Even after I got good enough to beat Cologne hollow, she still tried these dirty tricks. I hate 'em!" Ranma stopped, a little shocked at how vehement that had come out, but not regretting it in the slightest.

Do-Jin carefully kept her face neutral but inside she was seething. _Damn those arrogant fools! If they had used honey instead of a stick, been willing to bend like the willow instead of ensnare like the vine this man could have joined them willingly. As it is I fear he is out of their reach and our own which is a damn shame. His life energy is greater than mine by far, maybe more than a weaponsmaster, and if he has skill to match that and his boasts, especially at his young age…. Best to cut our losses. _She reached into her pocket and brought out the Dragon's Scale. "Judging by your description, I agree that they acted dishonorably by our own laws, not just by common decency. If Shan Pu issued no challenge her chase of you thereafter and everything that came with it is invalid. Regardless of their actions however this belongs to the Amazon Nation. If I return it as a gift from you who recovered it as part of your battle against the one who stole it I can waive all laws and challenges pertaining to you and insure that the Amazon tribe of Jade at least will consider you an ally. I'm afraid I can't help with your aura issues however."

Ranma nodded acquiescence. "Sure, I just don't want more a' you comin' after me. I've had enough of amazons and yer problems to last me a lifetime." Sheila smiled as Ranma turned down the chance to be with an Amazon, reflecting on how Tirga would have jumped at the chance, regardless of the consequences.

Do-Jin smiled acquiescence, still fuming internally, and left a few minutes later, intent on leaving the city that very night. She had words to say to the Amazon council about their earthside cousins and the sooner the better.

Back in the hospital room Theo explained that the council were able to tell what had effected Ranma's aura, but could not do anything about it, as his aura was too chaotic to try and fix. He went on to explain the pieces they knew, with Ranma interrupting at times, and Sheila giggling hysterically in the background.

* * *

Ranma groaned. "An attraction to mallets, you have to be kidding me, there's a spell like that? I thought the bearded dude was just joking around. What the hell?"

Theo's lips twitched. "Scroll users are rather notorious for their non-sense of humor."

* * *

"Chaotic locus?" You mean I've been screwed from even before my old man took me on the training trip?" Theo nodded. "Well, damn, guess that means I can't blame him for all my problems anymore."

Theo shook his head amusedly. "No just most of them."

* * *

"Trouble with women, huh Ranma? That one sure hit home hard." Sheila smirked while elsewhere several delusional young women suddenly had sneezing fits. Ranma just growled at her, though deep inside Sheila was wondering if she wanted to add herself to his growing pride, despite her feelings for Tirga. Elsewhere in the city a certain weaponsmaster was dreaming about doing much the same thing.

* * *

"A blessing of Bastet? Weird, how did I, a Japanese boy, get the blessing of an Egyptian god?" Theo shrugged, and Sheila simply chalked it up to his chaotic aura.

During the discussion, Shion had taken a small viewing spectacle made of a light orange crystal out of her pocket and was staring at Ranma intently threw it during the entire discussion. As it wound down she spoke up. "Young man, can you tell me what your element affinity is?"

Ranma nodded at her. "Yes miss, it's alban, or light. I found out when Gina took me to this huge library place, this old scroll they had there had a way to figger your element out."

Shion nodded, putting the monocle away. "Interesting, I have not met a light user before. Mages can cast light spells of course, and certainly priests can use a few light based prayers, but a ki user? Something for me to research. And with that, Theo, younglings, I bid you good night."

Theo nodded. "We should get ready to leave as well." He led the way to the roof, taking out a beacon, which would let Gina's dimensional gate lock onto their position and pull them through.

Sheila looked down at the ground, sad that her new friend was leaving so soon. Ranma looked at her too, sad to leave her behind. "I'll ask Gina if I can get in touch with you somehow so we can keep in touch."

Sheila nodded, grabbing the shorter girl in a hug. Ranma stiffened for a second before returning it as Theo watched, lips twitching in amusement. Ranma did seem to attract the ladies. "Promise you won't forget?"

Ranma nodded, stepping back and ruffling Sheila's hair. "I've got too few friends to neglect the newest one. Trust me, I'll find some way to keep in contact with you."

Sheila nodded, and on impulse leaned forward and kissed the redhead on the lips. It was brief, but heartfelt before she bounded away.

Ranma stood there in shock and Theo, smiling widely now, clapped a hand on her shoulder as the portal opened.

* * *

They appeared back in the lab and walked upstairs, finding the rest of the houses denizens gathered and looking worried. Ranma spoke up, "Hey guys what's going on?"

end chapter

Next chapter will be the Peabody arc, so it will be quite large and with a lot more action. Look forward to it.


	12. Chapter 11 barking up the wrong Ranma

I do not own GD or Ranma

Author's note: I have to say I've been getting some rather nasty reviews from anonymous people and guests. I can take bad reviews from fellow authors but taking abuse from those who can't write, and who complain how I'm changing things, well…. It's fanfiction people, and if you don't like it write your own damn story. Another had a major problem with how I've done the romance in this story. For that I agree, romance in this story isn't nearly as satisfying or a major part of the story line yet as it is in my other stories. Emphasis on the yet there, but you have to admit that in the original GD, romance was a very small part of the story except for Genn and Séance. Brit and Strype got together and were serious within days of meeting, and really their courtship for the most part (except when it was having problems created by their enemies) happened off screen. I haven't read past the fourth gold brick (early compilation of the Gold Digger series), and know nothing about anything beyond that, nor do I care as a shit ton will be changing. Oh, and a warning: I know nothing about Ninja High School, so I almost certainly will make mistakes with those characters. This chapter will also show that Ranma's inclusion can change things for the bad and the good, and sometimes just his presence is enough to make things go differently, though the end result might not change.

I love the PMs and reviews I have seen for and against the inclusion of Brit. I'm still not saying that I'll include her or not, but you have until Sunday to try and convince me either way. Also if anyone notices typos i will of course correct them this weekend.

* * *

**Chapter 11 Barking Up the wrong Ranma**

There are many strange and odd dimensions out there, but probably one of the strangest was the chronoverse, a dimension that dealt with the passage of time. Here, time was not, as most humans would think, a line. Rather it was a series of gigantic bubbles all swirling around one another in some kind of galactic soup. Whether or not this is a representation our brain creates to try to comprehend the magnitude of something that it just isn't supposed to or if this is reality really has no bearing on our story, though it is an interesting question.

What does however is that people can enter or exit this area if they have the technology, and can enter or exit different eras of our time through the bubbles that represented different eras in time. They can do this for good or ill and one who had done it for ill is named Dr. Peachbody but he now found himself at a loss as to how to achieve his goals.

Dr. Peachbody was a dog, a black Labrador to be exact. While not exactly frightening looking, he made up for his lack of fearsome appearance with an intelligence that put him on par with Gina or any other human scientist. And he didn't actually need to be frightening personally as he had the technology to back up his words, as well as his attack-boy Benji. His mission was to go back in time and create a future where dogs ruled humans rather than the other way around. Unfortunately for him, he had failed several times, and there were no humans with the ability to counter him.

"We're stuck Benji," the doggie doctor said, sighing morosely, "we cannot possibly succeed in our crusade to correct the future. The humans have won. With their ability to access this dimension our own ability to do so is trumped, our last chance to save the dog-dominated future is gone now. We failed Benji the canine future is no more."

The heavily muscled blond haired young man stared at his master uncomprehendingly. "But Dr., I don't understand, why don't we just get rid of all those nasty interfering humans, we could go back in time and fix them!" Naturally 'fix' in this context had a much more evil context then it would used by a human.

"Ah Benji I shall try to simplify the explanation for your mind to comprehend." Dr Peachbody replied, turning to look at his attack-boy rather than staring out into the chronoverse. "The bubbles in this universe each represent an era in time. Once we enter one however we cannot go back, because for us, the bubble burst when we leave it. However, someone else would still be able to access the bubble, thus they could undo all the work we've done and we would be unable to do anything about it."

"Oh I can think I understand!" the naïve young boy answered.

"Excellent! Good boy! Have a treat!" the dog fished out a small treat from inside the jet they were both sitting on and tossed it up into the air, where the boy jumped up and caught it in his mouth.

The boy chewed for a moment as his master went back to sulking before speaking again. "Now I know why we're stuck Sir, those nasty humans would never pop their bubble first."

Dr. Peachbody's ears stood up straight as this suddenly ignited a thought in his brain. "Benji, that's it! It's so simple! We need to trick them into entering and leaving an era, an era that could nullify their very existence, that is, if we stepped in after they left! Start the machine boy! Our next stop is 1903!" The boy saluted, and jumped into the jet's cockpit as his master took a moment to chuckle manically. It's written in the code of villains that before every evil deed the villain must laugh manically, and Dr Peachbody was a firm believer in following the rules of his trade.

* * *

It was a gloomy group that went to bed the night after El Dorado disappeared at the Diggers residence. The next day brought little cheer as Gina, Penny and Brianna went to work trying to extrapolate Aebra's location and figure out a way to get there.

The non-scientists in the group tried to cheer Brit up to no avail. Ranma in particular tried to cheer her up by telling her stories of his misadventures, but she remained depressed despite his best efforts. She cheered up a little at lunch when Gina reported that they had found Aebra's location and that it was only a matter of time until they could build a hyper drive capable ship, but still the waiting was getting to her.

Ranma himself was twitchy all day, especially after breakfast. His life was going great at the moment, even with Strype's disappearance, and he knew what that meant: shit was going to hit the fan and soon! He had even told Kasumi and the others about meeting Sheila and what the mage council had said about his aura, and not one of them had pounded on him! That could only mean that something even worse was going to happen soon.

In fact all the girls had thought it sweet that he had hung out with Sheila during, as they put it 'her time of need'. Nabiki's reaction was the most effusive but for a very different reason…

/Flashback/

Kasumi smiled sweetly at Ranma as he finished telling them about his time in Jade. "I think it was very sweet of you to volunteer to spend time with Sheila like that Ranma." Everyone nodded, though Nabiki was looking up at the ceiling in thought, trying to remember something that Gina had told them a few days ago. "And the Retreat itself sounds fascinating. I wouldn't mind a trip there myself one of these days."

Brianna nodded. "Yeah Jade's a really cool place to visit, though the lack of plumbing, electricity and **plumbing** gets you down after a while."

Nabiki suddenly looked down, staring across at Gina. "Hey Gina, didn't you say a few days ago that you had designed a replicator like they have in that Star Trek show?"

Gina nodded, always eager to discuss her inventions. "Yep. Unfortunately the matter-to-matter conversion process is energy intensive, so I can only create simple things. And I haven't gotten the replicator's sound right just yet."

Nabiki grinned wolfishly as she turned to Ranma. "And you said this Sheila girl had never heard of Midol or tampons before? And you didn't see anything **else** modern there?"

Ranma nodded, not seeing where Nabiki was going with this. "Yeah, she said she relied on some kind of herbs or something, and had never heard of putting anything down there before. She was really grateful too. And nah, no ice cream no snacks except meat, no…" Nabiki cut him off by reaching across and pulling his face toward her, kissing him hard on the mouth. Ranma squawked, opening his mouth in shock as Nabiki's tongue invaded his mouth.

Kasumi spoke sharply. "Nabiki! Not at the breakfast table please! It isn't proper or polite!" Everyone else nodded agreement, jealous, irritated or saddened (Brit missing her nookie source) by the sudden floorshow.

Nabiki reluctantly pulled away, a trail of saliva briefly connecting her mouth to Ranma's until she licked it away. "Special occasion sis." She stood up abruptly. "I have work to do, I'll see you all later."

/End flashback/

Nabiki had then left the house and went over to the main Diggers residence. She came back laden with scrolls and tomes detailing the laws and trade regulations of Jade and locked herself in her room. She hadn't been seen since except to grab coffee, and some printouts about precious metals and the commodity market.

Brit and Brianna joined Hurtz and Ranma in their sparring session in the gym that afternoon, her mother not wanting to train her until she could concentrate properly on learning instead of thinking about Strype and being way to high strung to just sit around waiting for news from the brains. Brit had actually offered to help, but she was shot down. Penny had come over to help and between her and Gina they were making a lot of progress in designing a hyperspace capable ship. Brianna had already designed several dozen weapons designs, and had completed her long term bit bomb project, calling them Peebos, so she was at loose ends for now.

Brit immediately noticed how twitchy Ranma was and called him on it, with Brianna nodding along next to her. "Alright what's wrong with you today Ranma? You're all twitchy and on edge. If anyone should be on edge it's me."

Ranma halted his pre-spar warm up sighing heavily. "You remember what happened at that fast food joint?" Brit nodded. _Who the hell could forget a fiasco like that! _"Well I think that somethin' like that is gonna happen soon. My life's goin' too smooth right now. I made a new friend, didn't get pounded for it and even had a nice spar in Jade. My chaos factor has gotta even it out somehow."

Brit opened her mouth to refute this crazy claim (something along the lines of "what the hell do you call my muffin disappearing into outer space then!") when suddenly the world around them shimmered as alarms blared inside the house. "Warning, Warning temporal anomaly detected, warning temporal anomaly detected!" The worlde around them disappeared and all three of the living beings that had been standing there found themselves somewhere else.

Cheetah ooffed as she, Brianna, Ranma and Brit all landed in a heap on a strange metallic platform. Kasumi and Nabiki had also arrived, though Nabiki seemed to have been laying down as she arrived already laying on the floor, and Kasumi landed delicately on her feet. "What the heck is going on?"

Gina looked on grimly as everyone untangled themselves, Brianna using the opportunity to get in a quick feel on Ranma, grinding against his crotch, and feeling him jump a bit in response. "I'm afraid that it's my fault. Something is going wrong in the time stream and that caused my experimental temporal defense bubble to activate, pulling us all here. It seems to effect the existence of us sisters directly and the rest of your being her indirectly. It seems as if one of our old foes has decided to meddle with time once again. We met Dr. Peachbody…"

She went on to explain what was happening but Brianna tuned her out turning to Ranma who she and Brit were still laying on, much to his chagrin and her delight. "Damn Ranma, when you're right about something you're right."

Ranma just nodded silently, concentrating all his willpower on not physically reacting to the two curvy, extremely attractive girls in his lap, purposefully turning away from where Brianna was grinding on his crotch, her breasts rubbing up and down against her sisters as she moved, trying to untangle their legs. _Damn it I never had this problem in Nerima! _Brit stood up first, then reached down, dragging her sister off Ranma forcefully as Gina's explanation wound down. The image of Peabody and Benji appeared on the display behind her, hiding a bomb under their parent's old house. "So what you're saying is that someone needs to go back in time to stop the dork dog from wiping us out of history right?"

Gina nodded. "Yep. And since this is our problem it should be me and Brit. We have no way of knowing what effect Ranma's chaos factor will have on the time stream if he goes, and your own origins make you a choice of last resort Brianna."

Brianna nodded glumly as Brit and Gina, wasting no time, went out to grab the Ginamobile (time travel version™). Ranma and Kasumi both leaned over and hugged her comfortingly. They both knew that her origins continued to bother her at times. It was hard, knowing she was a product of a curse and gene-splicing rather than love and affection like other people, and that her whole existence was prevalent on the lives of two other people.

Nabiki looked on, something bothering her about the whole set up. _It's too easy. Why would someone go to the trouble of going back in time to take out someone and only use one shot to do it? Something's missing here._ She turned to Brianna. "Hey Bri', tell me some more about this time travel thing."

Brianna nodded, not taking her eyes off the monitor as she answered, telling Nabiki all she knew, which wasn't much. "Well, ya see, the chronoverse is a dimension where…."

Nabiki listened growing more concerned with every word but before she could voice her problems Gina and Brit returned triumphantly, having successfully defused the bomb without their parents seeing them. Their happiness soon turned to shock as they turned to the monitor only to see Benji pull up to the house in a delivery truck. Nabiki groaned aloud. "I knew it! The first attack was only to draw you in, probably some kind of timed device set in another era/bubble thingy! They wanted you to be unable to enter the same time stream again! Now they've got a free shot at your parents, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Gina and Brit looked at eachother in horror, but Brianna gritted her teeth resolutely. "They may not be able to anything but I can!" With a shout she called her power armor out of her sub space pocket, the one martial arts technique she had learned from Ranma thus far, donning it in seconds as her sisters looked on helplessly. They knew she was the only one that could now enter this space bubble, but neither was certain her existence was singular enough to allow her to do so.

Ranma had no such illusions, but he dithered for a moment as to how to get his thoughts on the matter across, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he tried to find the words. Nabiki and Kasumi however snapped him out of it by gently slapping his shoulders and nodding at him meaningfully. After a moment he nodded resolutely. He then moved forward and before Brianna knew what was happening he kissed her soundly on the lips. Brianna's eyes fluttered closed and she moaned, molding her body to his as much as her power suit would allow. When they pulled apart, Ranma leaned his forehead against hers speaking softly but with conviction. "Remember Brianna to me and everyone else here you are your own person, I care for you because you're you, not some kinda combo of yer two sisters. You got it?"

Brianna looked at him and nodded, his simple words filling her with resolve. Ranma nodded back and moved away. As soon as he was a few feet away, Brianna lit off her power suits thrusters, slamming out and away from the temporary shelter of the temporal bubble the lab was in and into the one Benji and Peabody were in.

One strafing run later, Brianna was back and it was safe to come out of the time space bubble. Brianna didn't notice, too busy being hugged and kissed by everyone else as tears streamed down her eyes. She had finally proven herself her own person both to herself and to the universe itself.

* * *

As this was going on Strype, Brit's missing paramour, was speeding through hyperspace towards his ancient home planet of Aebra.

Jan was at the controls of the ship and she looked up at her friend concerned. "Lord Strype you don't have to remain on the bridge you know, you need to get some rest, you've been on your feet for over 30 hours. I'm fully capable of monitoring our progress through hyperspace."

"Sorry Jan, I just don't feel like resting, I'm too concerned thinking about what we might be facing. We have so few warriors in El Dorado, the war against Atlanta's cost us dearly. When we arrive only I will attack the dynasty everyone else will tending to the needs of the survivors and protect them from further assaults."

Jan stared up at her, eyes wide "Just you alone, that's crazy! The dynasty's viciousness and cruelty are legendary among every space going race. You cannot possibly hope to stand against those flesh tearing blood drinking monsters."

"That is why I have to use the artifacts of El Dorado, the heirlooms passed down from my ancestors. I never dared to use any of them before, even when Eldorado was at war with Atlantis as just one of these artifacts is terrifyingly dangerous, but now my only hope for victory is to use them all. Each artifact was created eons ago by the ancient rulers and protectors of my people but the technology to create these artifacts was lost by the time we began colonizing the galaxy as was the knowledge of how to properly control them." Since meeting Ranma Strype had come to realize that control was even more important than he had previously thought. Hearing the younger man's stories about out-of-control magic and its effects had brought home that science and magic were not things to meddle in without prior planning.

"Ancient technology, you piqued my curiosity Strype, may I examine one?" The female rab-er highly advanced alien, asked.

"I was hoping you would ask. See what you can find out about this one. It's called Flam Raker, but be careful. Whatever you do don't push your will into it, that will activate it, and I don't know what it will do."

As the female rabbit was looking at the device she asked "Do you truly know what the dynasty is and what we'll be facing?"

"I'm afraid I knew very little Jan."

Jan sighed; of course a race of carnivores would rush into danger without knowing anything about it. "Well I know the legends about them at least. They say the dynasty is ancient aging at the rate of stars. It's ruled by Rio the father and Riddell the mother. They spread their family throughout the galaxy and shadowy strongholds, conquering civilization after civilization. We rabbits were conquered, just as your people but unlike your people who were deemed fit to serve the dynasty as slaves, we were sent by the billions to the soul furnaces. From the furnaces they created the dynasty's warrior drones and anything else they could make from the 'recycled' material," She spat. "Billions upon billions from other races were claimed by the soul furnaces. The dynasty was truly the galaxy's darkest night there. And now it's back and it appears only you can end the nightmare before it grows." She looked up at Strype from looking at the object "Sorry I didn't want to put that additional pressure on you."

Stripe looked at her askance "too late."

Jan chuckled nervously. "Oh, on a happier note, I think I understand the nature of Flame Raker. The technology is very advanced, so much so I could barely interpret its function, let alone its design. All you have to do is concentrate and tell it what what you want in your mind. Flame Raker is a powerful Pyrokinetic amplifier. However, my will isn't strong enough to produce more than the candlelight." She demonstrated and a small flicker of light appeared from the top of the device's central ruby.

Strype reached out and took the device, wondering if this 'will' Jan talked about was the same as ki on Earth. Training with Ranma had given him much more control over his life energy, and his speed and strength had improved hugely. He couldn't quite do ki attacks yet, but he was close, and if that translated into better control or power whit his ancestral devices that would be an excellent thing.

One the device was in his hand, he thought at it, pushing his will into it and said "candlelight". Suddenly his entire arm burst into flame. For a moment he was scared, but the flames didn't hurt him. "Ahhh, wait, it doesn't burn?!"

"Of course not silly" Jan laughed "flame Raker protects you."

"Jan it's growing at a stop it!" By now the flame had covered his entire arm and was spreading to the rest of him

Jan looked at Strype as he flung his arm around, trying wildly to put out the fir. "I see many hours of practice in your future Strype, many long hours."

* * *

/Somewhere in China/:

Cologne looked at her scrying bowl, almost snarling in concentration as she glared into her crystal ball. Scrying over a distance was usually not difficult, no matter where or who given the magical power permeating Jusendo. But scrying Ranma had always been difficult, his strangely chaotic aura interfering with any spell. After his change merely finding a clue of his passage was difficult, let alone divining a location.

_Magic or technology spirited him away from that warehouse in Tokyo, so I should be able to find him through magic. _With a last weary sigh she allowed the spell to fade away. _And yet I am flummoxed at every turn. Something is blocking any kind of tracking through magical means, I simply cannot get a read on him. Could the technological devices we saw there have something to do with it? Regardless, we must resort to more normal means._

She hopped away motioning with her left arm to another Amazon, a middle aged woman who had been waiting patiently in one of the corners. "Has there been any luck finding out who owns that warehouse Lin En?"

Lin En, a middle aged woman with thick coke bottle glasses and cheerfully pudgy features nodded. She had never been a warrior yet her skills in diplomacy, reading and law were among the best in the tribe. She had long served as aide de camp to the entire council of elders, and Lore-mistress Lo Tion in particular. In other societies she would be termed a spymaster. "Yes War-mistress, the warehouse is subsidized to an American company. Delving further, our agents at the Japanese Embassy have given me a list of names containing some individuals that may be of interest in **your** search. I am researching them now, but so far only one would seem to be involved with the kind of technology you described in your report to the council."

Cologne refrained from scowling at the emphasis on the words 'your search'. Lo Tion had been quick to denounce her efforts to rein in Ranma on her return to the village, and a few other elders had joined her. Now the council stood divided, and her position as Matriarch was in peril. Only Ranma's own reputation in the area as the slayer of Saffron, which the rest of the council had learned in her absence to be the truth, and the amount of power adding his seed to the tribe would give them, had saved her from an even worse loss of face.

Shampoo too had been denounced as a failure, but in her case simply beating all her challengers in a single day had silenced them. Shampoo had been the best of her generation before she left, now she was nearly as good as a council Elder. She was still not looked on with favor but there was no longer talk about punishing her for her failure to bring back her husband. Cologne's own position was much more precarious because when she agreed to help Shampoo bring Ranma back she had staked her own reputation alongside her great-granddaughters' success. "Do you have any information about this one name you mention?"

Lin En took out a notebook and began to read aloud from it. "Name, Gina Diggers, known occupation, scientist/inventor, an American living in Atlanta Georgia, age 24. The Japanese government also has a note on her in their files as being some kind of 'adventurer', interested in archeology and history. She has two sisters and two parents, whose names are not part of the file. She also has several internationally recognized patents for technological devices."

Cologne frowned in thought. _So son-in-law is most likely in America, but then why can't I scry him there? Damn it, America will be tricky on many levels._

Her thoughts were interrupted by her great granddaughter, who had been standing silently near the doorway. "So Airen could be in this Atlanta place in America, or at least a clue as to his whereabouts? Shouldn't we leave now grandmother, before the trail gets cold?"

"Silence child, I'm trying to think!" At Shampoos look of contrition she relented. Cologne had become more waspish since their return to the clan, but she had to control her temper. After all it was Lotion, not Shampoo she was truly angry at. "America is not like Japan child, with its respect for the old ways and its tradition of martial arts. America is very '**modern**'", she spat the word contemptuously "and does not acknowledge our laws or our ways. The authorities there would never look the other way as those in Japan did. We will have to be swift, surgical. And you know as well as I do how likely that is against Ranma."

Indeed, since the fight at the school, Cologne had come to the conclusion that Ranma's skill was even greater than she had thought. _No matter the price, we must have his seed for the tribe! A warrior with his blood and Shampoo's could make our tribe prominent again, we could possibly even conquer the entire region! "_No, we must look elsewhere for aid in our hunt. I believe our cousins, the Amazons of Jade can help us here. They have more magic at their disposal than we. With some of their magic gates we can get into and out fast without arousing local opposition. And unfortunately that means I must go and speak once more to the council."

Shampoo sighed, not wanting more time to pass before leaving to hunt done her Airen, but having no way of going against her grandmothers wishes. If she knew her airen he had already attracted other girls to him, and that worried her. She had heard how loose American girls were after all, and her Airen, could fall for their wiles if she wasn't there. The irony in that line of thought never occurred to her.

* * *

That night the Amazon council met once again, and very quickly became divided into two camps once more. On the one hand there were those like Cologne who saw in Ranma's blood a chance for their tribe to become **the** power in the region. On the other, there was Lotion and her group, who were becoming increasingly concerned with how their chase of this young male was perceived by the outside world. Lotion put it as succinctly as possible in her rebuttal to Colognes demand to use the magic gate to travel to Jade. "The more and more we entangle ourselves with this Ranma, the more we show ourselves to the world. Our greatest protection has never been strength of arms, but anonymity, the hard terrain around us and our distance from the government of China. You are sacrificing that anonymity in your quest to bring this Ranma to heel! Now that he is in America this becomes even clearer. We cannot afford to have the Americans lodge a complaint with the Chinese. Our influence over the Communist Party has waned too much in recent years as it is! No matter how good our warriors are individually, they cannot stand against a modern army with guns, tanks and air support."

Cologne nodded, though inwardly she sneered at such a passive stance. "That is precisely why we need the help of the aid of our Jaden sisters. With their magic, we could get in and out of America easily, with no one in power there realizing what happened."

Lotion would have shot back immediately, but another elder, the heretofore neutral Rin-ser spoke up. "The problem I see Cologne is that you, our Matriarch, are making decisions that affect the entire tribe without thinking them through clearly. I understand we **could** capture the wild stallion quickly with the aid of our sisters, but what if they don't want to or refuse to help us? What if they demand payment? How much are we willing to give for their aid? I agree that Ranma's seed could help our tribe, but would it help us enough to cover the cost of obtaining it?"

Cologne was about to yell back but paused. Rinser's words carried a lot of weight because of her neutral stance, and her response had to convince the others. "I believe that Ranma's blood is that valuable, yes. Our sisters in Jade may demand payment, but surely his blood can also be used there. And I can use the money I and Shampoo made in Japan, as well as the treasures we liberated from the Phoenix Tribe and Happosai as down payment. In the end, I think the Amazons of Jade will agree to aid us. Are we not all sisters, daughters of the goddess Artemis?"

Rinser slashed a hand forward, forestalling Lotion once more. "Leave us Cologne. We will call you with our decision."

The other elders waited until Cologne left before turning to one another. Par-fume, another neutral elder scowled angrily. "All this fuss over a single male, honestly I think our dear Matriarch has lost her mind."

Det-ergent, one of Cologne's former supporters sighed. "I fear more and more you are correct. Cologne has lost the detachment necessary to make a proper decision about this. Ranma** is** important, but she has chased after him for so long that she has lost sight of all else. Could you see how fixated she is on it? She didn't even mention the Dragon's Vow, whose loss to my mind is far more important."

Lotion stayed silent, knowing that to speak up now would again polarize the council. This debate had to be about Cologne and the danger of her quest to the tribe, not about the ongoing wrangle for power between War-mistress and Lore-mistress that had been going on for decades.

Rinser, keeper of the treasures nodded agreement. "I agree with you there. I also have to wonder how many more treasures we would have now, wrested back from Happosai the thief, if she had immediately brought them back here. The Bracelet of Love Pills and the Nanban Mirror spring rather forcibly to mind. Both damaged beyond safe use. I wonder if they were so damaged before or after Cologne recovered them?"

The elders sat silent in thought. Truth to tell, Cologne had few friends and no real supporters on the council, despite what she thought. She had been gone too long, made too many bad decisions of late for it to be otherwise. But she was also too good a warrior, indeed by far the best warrior in the tribe for the elders to push her aside. She was also revered by the younger warriors in the tribe, many of whom looked to her for guidance and counsel over their own parents and grandparents.

After seeing no one else was going to break the silence, Lotion spoke up diffidently. "I have a suggestion that may serve the tribe in this." Her fellows looked at her and she went on. "Her position rests solely on her personal prowess and her chase of this Ranma, because of her aiding her granddaughter. Very well, let that chase judge her in our eyes. We send an observer with her, one of our number. If she continues in her destructive ways, that observer will have the authority to cut the tribes ties with her and her arrogant granddaughter then and there and make peace with Ranma in whatever way she deems fit. If Ranma has fought them she will be in no fit state to protest, and she will be far from here, unable to return easily or at all. And we will also have other warriors on hand to witness what has occurred. If Cologne succeeds, we back off and allow her to keep her position."

The elders looked at one another then nodded agreement. Banishment such as that might be harsh, but it was after all the only certain way they could depose Cologne from her position without starting a civil war within the tribe. Lotion smiled internally. She knew from studying him that win or lose, Ranma would **never** submit. Either this quest would end with no gain, and thus Cologne's warlike ways would be shown to be ineffective, or she would lose, and die. Either way, the tribe would be forced to change, and that was all to the good. Cologne and those like her, who refused to see others had rights or that technology had replaced magic in the world, had for too long stymied the tribe's potential growth.

Cologne was sent for and was informed Rinser would be accompanying her on the trip as an independent observer. She wasn't happy, but acquiesced to the council's decision.

The next day, Shampoo smiled happily, following her grandmother and the other elder eagerly into the council lodge at the head of a five woman party of other young warriors. Each of these warriors had been carefully chosen from the more calm and thoughtful of the younger set. The elders wanted the youngsters to see a bit of the world for themselves and to serve as witnesses to what would happen.

In the basement of the house, in a room accessible only by the Matriarch of the clan was a magic circle of esoteric and ancient design. When activated, it would allow communication and even transportation between Earth and Jade.

Cologne spent twenty minutes preparing the circle and chanting the incantation necessary to access it. Then she and Shampoo waited a few minutes more until the circle was fully powered. When it was, a door opened to another dimension, a large white gash in the center of the room, showing a wide open grove surrounded by trees and a few wooden houses of simple design rather than the darkness of the basement.

Cologne hopped forward, motioning Shampoo to follow behind. "Now remember child, these are our cousins here and we need their help. That means no challenges, speak only when spoken to and let me do the talking." Shampoo nodded reluctantly. She had hoped to show these weird Jaden Amazons why she was the champion of her village, but with her grandmother's edict, that wasn't possible. They weren't there for two minutes before the warriors of Earth could see some of their sisters coming out to greet them.

* * *

Dr. Peachbody wasn't the only scientist exploring the chronoverse. Two others May and Dr. Mita were another pair, though their mission in the chronoverse was far more benign than the dastardly dog's. They considered themselves time fixer-upper's, trying to repair or otherwise negate damage done to the time stream by other time travelers.

Not that both of them were equally enthused on the mission they were doing right now. May, a young meta-human with decent martial arts skills and tremendous physical strength, acted as the bodyguard of the two, and was particularly put out. "Tonight's movie night Mita," she whined "Can't this wait, I mean come on we're time travelers, anything that goes wrong can be fixed anytime we darn well feel like it."

"Not if it happens in the chronoverse itself May" Mita, a slightly older woman in a stern business suit replied. "The chronoverse gives us direct access to any time, but there is no traveling backward or forward through the time in the chronoverse itself, which means that anything that happens in the chronoverse is given top priority."

In front of their highly advanced time machine was a sphere of time energy. Unlike the bubbles, which didn't interact with the rest of the time universe, this ball of chaotic time was warping things and changing the surrounding area, casuing ripples of distortion, like ripples in a pond.

"It's bigger than when I first detected it!" Mita said worriedly "its warping and stretching the fabric of time around it, if it gets much bigger it could tear all time and space apart!"

May muttered "icky" under her breath, as if her friend was just talking about something that would make a really mess rather than destroy all time and space, showing that she really didn't understand what was going on. She was around to hit things that was about it.

"We have to prevent it from growing any further. The antigravity engines on our time craft should be up to the task, if it's not too big all already." Mita muttered, looking at some of the readings on her computer.

Suddenly a strange voice interrupted her monologue. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

"Who said that?" Mita asked looking around wildly.

May was already pointing at something outside their ship, her eyes wide with surprise. "Ms. Mita I could be wrong but I think the dog that just pulled up next to us in that ship over there said it. You don't see that every day."

Dr. Peachbody ignored the younger girl, addressing his words to the older woman. "that time warp disturbance must be destroyed, at its source, or else you're simply solving the symptom, not the problem. I am out Dr. Alfred Steiner Peachbody. This is my friend Benji. We are time explorers from the future."

Benji on the other hand, had his attention firmly fixed on May. His face was suffused with a small flash and he whispered to Peachbody "Dr., that girl with the things in her hair, she's cute. Can I have her?"

Dr. Peachbody replied "Not now boy sit, heel!" For some reason May felt a shiver run down her back, but it disappeared so fast she thought she had imagined it.

"I'm Mita and this is May, we too are explorers in time but what do you know about this time warp and will you help us get rid of it?"

"We will help you get rid of the time warp but you have to trust us. We have been it examining this time warp for some time now."

"Very well Dr. Peachbody" Mita replied after a moment's thought, "what do we have to do?"

Inside Dr. Peachbody was doing cartwheels at how gullible the other time traveler was, but outside he maintained his serious and professional mien. This was his chance to not only get his hand on more time travel technology, but to also shut down Gina and her access to the chronoverse. "In the twentieth century, there is a bright young female human who is a rather eclectic scientist, however one of her creations, her warp field device is creating this time distortion and she's not aware of its horrible consequences. You must go there and ask her to shut it down, and if she doesn't, you must force her to shut it down. I will remain here, I must continue to monitor the time warp. If we act quickly we can save the time stream before any permanent damage is done."

Mita nodded seriously. "I understand Dr. Peachbody just give us the scientist's named, address and time coordinates, and we'll leave immediately.

"Certainly, the time and place are Atlanta Georgia, late twentieth century and the name is Gina diggers."

* * *

In the two days since the doggie doodoo, as Ranma called the time incident, there had been a lot of progress made on the various projects of the people in the Digger's household. Nabiki had figured out whatever she wanted, and was now writing up a proposal of some kind for the military. Gina never worked directly with the military, but so long as she had veto power over the plans her friend sold to them she was ok with it.

Her own project was going very well too. She had designed a series of hyperspace engines that could get them to Aebra faster than the ones Strype was using. She made certain of this by looking at the designs left over in Atlantis, another city that had once been a ship, and making sure that her design could outperform them in every way. Once they had a ship these engines could get them to Aebra a day or maybe two after Strype arrived. Of course building them would take a week or two, but her robots could handle that easily enough. Penny was already building the ship, thus spreading the workload out and halving the time before they could leave.

Right now, Gina was trying to build a sensor that would work in hyperspace, just in case the danger Strype's message to Brit mentioned could find them in hyperspace. Brit ried to take off her worries by trying to help, but was failing miserably. She just didn't understand tools at all. She looked up from her attempts to figure out the organization of her big sisters tool box, her ears pricking up. "What's that?"

"What is it Brit?" said Gina, looking up from where she was working on her sensor equipment.

"we've got company coming," the werecheetah replied.

"oh "Gina said "It's only Ryan, he said he was coming over." Gina was of two minds about her erstwhile boyfriend. On the one hand he was being much more attentive, coming over every day to hang out with her. But on the other hand she wasn't certain if this was a sign he was taking their relationship more seriously, or because he wanted to make certain nothing funny was going on between her and Ranma. His antagonism towards Ranma was apparent whenever the two were in the same room. Ranma could feel it, but Kasumi had sat on him firmly and made him not start anything with the older boy. At least not in the house, if Ryan wanted to fight they could take it outside. Ryan hadn't pushed it that far yet. More, Gina had decided that as fun as it was to embarrass Ranma, he really wasn't boyfriend material, so she didn't need big bad Ryan to come to her rescue.

"Not that" Brit growled, "Look at the ceiling."

Gina looked up and saw what she was talking about immediately. "Oh I see it now, Britney some kind of portal is forming. I thought you meant the doorbell."

The portal suddenly widen and out popped a young teenage girl dressed in a rather cutesy outfit shouting at the top of her lungs and trying to do an ax kick straight down toward Brit. Cheetah replied to this by simply opening a floor locker and letting the girl fall straight through closing after she passed. "I never thought these floor locker things would be so useful," she said, chuckling.

A rather exasperated voice sounded from above her and she looked up again. "I do apologize for my companion." Another unknown young woman said. Unlike the last one, she was dressed in a serious business suit with a large bow tie around her neck, and was sliding down a poll coming out of the portal rather than attacking. "May can be overzealous at times, and I also must apologize for this intrusion, but my cause is dire!"

Brianna let go of the device she was holding, surreptitiously reached into her pocket space. Ranma had just finished teaching her and Brit how to use this a week ago and already it had proven its worth many times over. Brianna in particular made use of it more and more, she now had a whole arsenal in there! Whatever this woman wanted she was going be prepared.

Gina on the other hand, was much more concerned with the propriety. "Who are you" she asked glaring a little at their visitor "and what's so important that you couldn't use the front door?" If she wanted people to just pop in unannounced she'd never have installed the special ringtone doorbell in the first place. Did anyone even know how long it took to design and build a doorbell that looked normal but that could take your fingerprint and use a previously chosen ring for each visitor? Honestly.

"I am Mita Salonis, a time traveler." The serious looking woman pulled out a small handheld oval, over which an image appeared. "This is a holographic image taken from a camera aboard my vessel. I'll show you what's wrong, and my dimensional door can't open to your door, sorry it just can't pick out a place that exactly." She gestured to the picture. "This time warp is forming because of the strange energies radiating from your warp field generator Gina. If you don't shut it off it could

"hold on," Gina interrupted looking at the device, "What's that on the edge there of the warp area." In the picture doctor doggie and his attack-boy stood. "Oh no, it's that time travelling mutt again."

"0h yes he's a friend Gina, he's helping us save the universe."

Gina turned to stare at her. "Oh yeah" she said drolly, "what the heck's Benji doing with that big gun then?"

The extremely naïve older woman replied "W-wait, what? It looks like a disrupter of some kind but I don't… I don't understand. He fired it. Indeed in the holo the attack-boy had fired what looked like a wide green beam out of the rifle-like gun he was holding. "The warp is now disrupting the time stream. This disruption is sure to prevent me and May from returning to the chronoverse!"

Gina patted her arm commiserating. "I take it you weren't expecting this?"

May shook her head fiercely. "He tricked us. We try to return now our atoms would be scattered all over time. We have to switch off your warp field device Gina if we disrupt the time warp the destruction we'll stop that as well."

Gina shook her head, "Mita, my warp field device doesn't generate a time warp the mutt knows that. Think about it, it doesn't make sense to send you into a trap with the means to get out, he was hoping you would cut off my limited means of time travel as well as marooning you here."

Brianna scowled. "I bet the mutt is responsible for creating that time warp in the first place." She turned around to her other sister. "Brit better let our guest out anyway."

"Gina my situation is very grim. My existence in real-time is best described as a paradox for I live in the chronoverse. The only way I am able to be here now is because of this paradox cloaking device I wear on my wrist. Without it I vanish from existence forever and its batteries are getting low and the batteries can only be recharged in the chronoverse."

Brit looked up at all of them from where she had lifted the floor locker lid. "We got some more bad news ladies, your little helper found her own way out." Inside the floor locker was revealed a huge hole in the floor, where May had forced her way out to the floor below.

"Oh no, she's going to switch off your warp field device Gina, if she does there is nothing to prevent Dr. Peachbody from permanently sealing off the chronoverse to all save himself!"

* * *

On the level below Gina and her friends May looked down at the young man she had landed on. "Er, sorry cutey, just passing through you know, nothing to see here." She said nervously, hoping she wouldn't have to fight him, he was just far too hot to hurt.

Ranma looked up at the girl sitting on his chest, then past her to the hole the girl had made in the ceiling. Next to him Hutrz was keeping a careful eye on the trespasser. "Uh-huh. Look, are you going to fix that or what?"

May got off of him, inching away slowly. "Um no?"

Before she could move Ranma was up off the ground holding her wrist in a grip of steel. "Sorry girl, but around here we fix what we break." Ranma and Hurtz had learned that lesson a few days ago when they accidently smashed the side of the house. They spent the rest of the day and well into the night fixing it.

May sighed, "Sorry cutey, but I've got a mission to complete for the sake of, well everything!" Suddenly her free hand was holding a grenade, which she flipped into Ranma's face, and he reflexively let go of her to try and catch the thing before he realized what it was, at which point he jumped away, transforming to his more durable werelion form. Hutrz had already dodged back around the corridor.

The explosion still blew Ranma back and through another wall into lab number ten, the newest and most empty of Gina's labs thankfully. Ranma groaned a little, pushing off some debris from the wall and looking down at his shredded shirt, his werecat form already healing from the damage, slower than most werecats would, but still faster than his normal body. "Damn it, I lose more shirts that way." He looked around at the hole in the wall, and then the hole in the ceiling, debating on whether to chase the girl down or start fixing her mess. If he didn't he just knew that someone would blame him for it. Still, work or hunt down a fight? Hurtz came around the bend, looking around for the intruder and then back to the damage she had caused. "User, Ranma, should this unit initiate repairs on corridor and ceiling, or join you in hunting down the intruder?" His core programming was inconclusive on the subject. HIs original programming would have had him chase after the intruder, but he had learned that none of his users liked damage to their home, so fixing things had become a priority in his programming, especially since user Kasumi had frowned at him. There was something terrible about that frown. Ranma shrugged, "I think we should both go after her, she may not be the only one around here y'know. His piece said, Ranma sped off down the corridor in the direction the girls scent told him she was going. Hurtz nodded, the repair robots could do their job rather than him this time, that was after all what they were created for, whereas he could choose what to put his hands to. This just goes to show that even among robots there is a social hierarchy, and Hurtz considered himself and his brethren at the top of it.

By the time he caught up to her she was already at her destination, but Brit had caught up with her first. As he got there both girls, looked up from their smack talk to stare at him, and suddenly paused. Brit turned away quickly, blushing hotly at the sight of Ranma standing there in his werecat form shirtless. His pheromones really affected her body way too much. Luckily they both knew it and went out of their way to not be around one another if he was in his were-from. The other girl just stared, drool dripping from her mouth and a blush rising to her face as for a moment she completely forgot about why she was there in the first place.

Ranma spotted Brit and immediately turned back to his normal body. "Er, sorry Brit, um, you can just grab her now y'know, she looks likes she's daydreaming or somethin'."

Brit nodded rapidly, though her own body had yet to calm down, and she turned, nipples still hard enough to poke out of her tight t-shirt and make Ranma blush as Cheetah grabbed for the younger girl. Hurtz moved around Ranma to aid user Brittany. Once they had her contained, they could let Mita explain everything to her.

Before she could however Dr. Peachbody appeared via a teleport beam right next to May. "We must escape May, everything has gone wrong!" He said dramatically "Mita was captured and now their defenses are up. I wasn't able to save her, but I can still save you! We must retreat back to the chronoverse!" With that the two disappeared.

At that moment Mita and Gina arrived on the scene with Gina. "Where's May?" The older woman had much more control than Gina, who was trying hard not to stare at Ranma as he pulled out a spare shirt from weapon-space. She pouted as her view was obscured, turning back to the conversation.

Brit replied "Dr Peachbody came and got her, I think she thinks it thinks it's on her side! My question is why was she going to destroy our hyper wave dishwasher, did she think that was the warp field device?" Ranma looked on, completely lost.

Brianna shrugged, "I'm just glad she didn't do it. Kasumi would've been most put out to go back to using the regular washing machine, this one is so much faster." Brit, Ranma, Brianna and Gina all shivered. "An upset Kasumi was a scary thing, especially to Brit and Brianna. For the others it meant doing their own laundry or no morning special times, but to the two were-girls, it meant no tuna, a truly horrible thought!

Mita ignored them however, concentrating on the readings her small scanner was giving her. "If Peachbody could circumvent the disruption between the chronoverse and real space so can I," she muttered.

* * *

With the diabolical dog and his minions, the good doctor was trying to put as bad a spin on things as he could. He wondered who the young man he saw was, but decided he was probably unimportant, just a bodyguard of some kind for the Diggers, just like the android, though he thought they had chosen a day where Gina had taken her hurtbots offline... "Things have gotten worse made much, much worse! While you were gone the warp field device owned by Gina Diggers malfunctioned. It is still generating the time warp but even larger, the time warp is now making distortions of doomsday proportions!

"Dr. Peachbody we have to rescue Mita, she can help us fix this!"

"We don't have time May! Remember problems here in the chronoverse must be solved quickly, we don't have time to spare. I have created a plan to save the universe but I need your help and access to your time craft's computers!"

"But-but-but, Mita said to never give anyone else access to our time tech!" May dithered.

"May please!" the dog pleaded, using the dreaded puppy dog eyes on her. Normally someone like him couldn't pull it off, after all, what evil being could, but he was a dog after all. "The universe will end if you don't trust me please May!"

The young girl was unable to mount enough will to fight back against the evil doggie eyes, and nodded, hitting some buttons on her wrist computer. "There, you're clear for access, just hurry."

"Thank you may and now that I possess time traveling technology that surpasses all others I think I can solve our problem." Initially he had planned to ditch the girl here in hopes of drawing out one of the Diggers and weakening their defense, but given the young man and the Diggers hurtbots, one of whom had also shown up by the time he collected the foolish girl, he needed something larger to draw them all off. This way he could also get rid of others who could get into the chronoverse.

Dr. Peachbody used the power of his news ships antigravity engines to control the properties of the time warp and neutralize it completely until he needed again. "There, the threat is gone for now." As May looked at the space where the warp had been he furtively manipulated the engines again, creating a much smaller warp in the same space. "But this is only a stop gap solution, we must stop Gina's and anyone else's experiments from the same time frame. They seem to be reacting badly to one another, and we need to shut them all down."

May nodded grimly while Benji looked simply confused as he went on. "I have localized another Dr. who has been meddling in time, and what's better he may be an ally of the Diggers. If you attack him, they will go to his aid and Benji and I will be able to destroy Gina's time warp device and rescue Mita at the same time." He gestured and Benji handed the girl some small, spherical bombs, flushing at the contact.

"But Dr., why don't I rescue Mita while you attack this other place?"

Peachbody thought quickly then thought up some great bullshit to feed her. He'd gotten a lot of practice doing so recently. "Because my dear you already teleported into the Digger's home, their anti-teleport/dimensional rift defense won't let you through again, but Benji can get through and grab Mita for us." Benji nodded, not understanding anything but knowing the doctor had said his name.

May blinked. "Oh, that makes sense. Well in that case, I'm good to go right now."

"Excellent!" Dr. Peachbody manipulated the time travelling device again, and a small rift appeared. "You'll be heading to this time, about twenty years prior to where we were before. Destroy Dr. Azland's lab and draw the Diggers attention. We'll pick you up as soon as we have Mita, and the problem will be over!" Mita nodded seriously, face set, and walked through the portal.

Dr. Peachbody waited a few minutes after the girl left before breaking out into evil villain laugh # 5, 'so, you've tricked the forces of good into doing your evil deeds for you'. After a while he stopped and turned to Benji. "Now, on to phase 2 of my conquest of the chronoverse!"

* * *

In real time Gina had just devised a way to stare into the chronoverse and watched as the distortion disappeared. "I can't tell you how embarrassing this is Gina, Dr. Peachbody completely tricked me. And with me having an IQ of 188 being duped by a canine doesn't do much for the ego."

Gina shrugged. She, Brit and Brianna had stayed in the lab to work on getting back May while Ranma and Hurtz had been ordered to fix the damage mya had done to the lab. Kasumi was already preparing dinner, and none of them wanted to be late. Brit however growled. "Tell me about it the mutt almost outsmarted me and Gina right out of existence a few days ago, if it wasn't for Brianna we'd have been done right there. We have to take him out once and for all sis, he's two dangerous and at this rate, we'll never finish the spaceship or catch up with Strype, whose light years away by now!"

Brit really didn't understand how much better the hyperspace engine Gina had devised were in comparison to the ones from El Dorado, and Gina had decided not to try and explain. With how worried her little sister was, the explanation wouldn't have done any good. "You don't see me disagreeing do you? Right now we… wait I've picked up something on the viewer. What they saw was May entering a new portal. Gina looked around worriedly and Mita frowned. "Oh no, what has that dog tricked May into doing now?"

Gina took a moment to look at the coordinate. "She was sent to Proffessor Azland, a doctor who specializes in history and time travel over in Quagmire, and about fifty years back. We've met him a time or two, a bit too serious for my tastes, but his time machine tech is pretty good. Dr. Peachbody must have tricked your friend into attacking and destroying his work."

"Leave that to us!" Brit said eagerly, anything to get her mind of her muffin. "You big brains stay here we'll get May back and you can explain everything to her then."

"yeah," Brianna chimed in "and hopefully we can find Peachbody, I want to show him some of my new pulson missiles. We'll take the ginamobile over there right now." Gina looked at her more combative sisters and nodded.

"Don't forget to work on that sensey thingie while we're gone Gina," Brit growled. Gina rolled her eyes, honestly how much work could she get done with Peachbody back and taking shots at them. Oh well, she put Brit's words out of her mind for now, and turned back to the computer with May.

* * *

Above them Ryan huffed in annoyance as he pushed the doorbell once again, rolling his eye as the musical chorus of 'Before he cheats' rang out. He wondered if Gina was trying to tell him something, but then shook the thought off. Finally after waiting forty minutes or more someone opened the door. He scowled seeing it was Genn and not Gina, but still asked. "Gina's here right, she said she would be here all day and I thought I'd come by and hang out or help or something, but I've been waiting hear for nearly an hour."

Genn shrugged, pulling up the towel draped around his body. "Sorry Ryan, I was in the shower. Séance is over with Nabiki at the main house, and Gina and the others are all down in the labs. They must not have heard the doorbell." Genn let Ryan in and Ryan went down alone. Normally Genn would have shown him the way to where Gina was working, but there were two problems with that. One was the fact he was dressed only in a towel, and he knew his monogender body made Ryan uneasy. The other was Ranma and his insane aura. Normally someone with as powerful an aura as Ranma had would be like a veritable smorgasbord for a rahkshasa, but not in Ranma's case. hIs aura was so chaotic and messed up it was like being near a psychedelic strobe light, and Genn liked more calm auras, like Séance's. Then too, he had seen some of Ranma's memories, and being near his aura made him remember them, which was not something anyone sane wanted.

Ryan made his way down the stairs and found the freak and one of Gina's hurtbots helping two repair bots to fix up some damage to the hallway. "Yo, you two know where Gina is?" As long as Ranma wasn't around Gina, Ryan was prepared to be somewhat polite.

Ranma looked over at the muscle bound adventurer and shrugged. Really he didn't like Ryan, but Kasumi and Nabiki had both warned him not to make things worse, so he didn't respond to the other mans' provocations. Then too, it wasn't like he liked Gina that way, so that removed the main bone of contention between them. He twitched his head down the left corridor, both his hands occupied holding up a slab of metal that one or the repair bots was welding into place. "Down in lab five or four I think. We had a bit of an issue a few minutes ago, and she and a new friend are hunting down Dr. Barky somehow." He sighed wishing that he had gone with Brit and Brianna, that way he might have gotten in some fighting. But he and Brit made it a point to get way from one another as soon as they could if he had been in his werelion form around her. It just made things easier between him and his friend. Suddenly he turned, and Ryan paused next to him. "Somethin's up." Ranma muttered.

Hurtz cocked his head, shunting more power to his ears. "This unit does not detect any new intrusions user Ranma."

Ranma's eyes narrowed, and he held up an arm barring Ryan's way. "Humor me, my 'fight' sense is tinglin. Ryan you head to the armory and grab a gun just in case, and you Hurtz, get some o' yer brothers up."

* * *

Gina scowled as she once more marked down a time that showed a temporal distortion with May's help. "Good-googily moogily, there's another one, that makes four places so far. What the heck is Peachbody up to?"

Mya shrugged, looking worried. "I don't know but somehow I think his using may to target a era we could enter was a bit too convenient for us."

An unwanted voice answered her from above them. "Yes, it was, wasn't it."

Gina looked up and groaned aloud at seeing Peachbody and Benji hovering above them in a new time machine that must have been Mita's by the way she was growling and looking around for something to throw at the duo. The dog gloated, another law of the evil code that had to be obeyed, while Benji at his nod dropped five small sphere into the room below. "I expected Britney or Brianna to after May but not both" he said, chuckling evilly "ladies you make it so easy!":

"Peachbody you mangy mutt give me back my time craft!" Mita growled.

"Finders keepers my dear" Peachbody sing songed, "Such fine handling, such decision control, my compliments. Gina Diggers time traveling technology cannot compare and since it's of no use to me, it must be destroyed. As for me I'm off to tie up a few loose ends. Farewell ladies." The crime craft disappeared at the same time the small spheres Benji dropped opened. Out popped carbon copies of several monsters from antiquity, a gargoyle, a minotaur, a golem and troll.

"Peachbody's biosynthetic weapons," Gina gasped backing away with Mita, wondering if she could get to the alarm installed by the door.

Mita wasn't handling it nearly as well. "Gina do you have any defense systems in this lab, please say yes!"

As the three monster's began to destroy Gina's lab they were interrupted by a voice from the doorway. "Now see, this is why you should listen to me Hurtz. I told ya somethin' was going on and here it is."

Gina and her new friend turned and gasped in relief, seeing Ranma and Hurtz step into the lab, followed by three more hurtbots and Ryan armed with a Brianna special™. "Ranma these guys are friends of Peachbody! They're here to wreck my lab!" Gina yelled out in relief.

Ranma grinned cracking his neck. "I get the minotaur. I got's a bone to pick with that shape."

Hurtz nodded. "Affirmative. Units 02, 05, protect Mistress Gina and guests. Unit 09 work with guest Ryan on the monster on the left. This unit will take the right."

Ranma grinned. He cracked his neck explosively and suddenly to the others it appeared as if he had disappeared. Ranma reappeared in the air in front of the towering minotaur's face, lashing out with a kick so fast that even Ryan couldn't track it. With an explosive *crack!* The minotaur was sent sprawling backwards, minus one of its horns, which cart-wheeled away into the lab.

For a moment both sides stood still, surprised by the speed of Ranma's assault, then Hurtz zipped forward to engage the Cyclops on the right and everyone else followed suit.

What followed was swift, brutal and entirely one-sided. Fierce the monsters might have been but they were no match for Gina's hurtbots or Ryan armed with some of Brianna's latest guns. And Ranma simply demolished the minotaur using it like some grotesque punching bag. As it lay there he stood over it giggling evilly, creeping everyone around him out for a few minutes.

Afterwards, the lab was in shambles, but most of the equipment was still intact, and Ranma shook herself out of her memories, turning to grin over to Gina and the others. Gina grinned back. Her lab was still intact, and with it both her computers with all her designs and her time space technology, and a way to track Peachbody down.

End chapter

* * *

Sorry to those who thought I could put the entire arc in one chapter, but I had to split it up, so much was going on and as it is I think I shortchanged some of the scenes. Next chapter, what happened to Brit and Brianna when they went over to Quagmire and the conclusion of the Peachbody arc. I also wanted to put in the part about Cologne as I didn't want too much more time to pass before we heard from her. Next chapter will be out on Sunday, not Saturday like normal, as I won't be able to work on my stories Friday like I normally would.


	13. Chapter 12 Battling Through the Ages

GD is owned by Fred Perry and Antartic press. I can't draw so they're not mine, nor is Ranma.

The response to my last chapter was pretty good. Thanks to _- and for pointing out some of the names I had wrong. I use Dragon Naturally Speaking to write most of my chapters, so I sometimes miss names and some words that sound the same, like enemies and enemy's, so if anyone sees mistakes like that point them out and I'll go back and change them.

Apologies for those who follow Ninja High School, but I know nothing about it save in passing, and unlike GD Mr. Perry hasn't placed it online yet, so if I get some things wrong(like putting Dr. Azland with them in the first place) just grin and bear it, though if I get any of their physical description wrong, I'll obviously go back and correct them. I'm working under the impression that Gina knows Dr. Azland as a fellow scientist, but the two comics haven't really interacted before this (they certainly hadn't in the GD comics except for the Masters witches)

I've decided to extend the poll until next Wednesday, which will be when the chapter dealing with Aebra and their trip there will come out, the next chapter will be out Thursday or Friday. Sorry guys, but we're getting to chapter that are only barely done, and work is a bitch at present. If you really want Brittany in the harem, PM or review and persuade me, because at this point with the pm's I've gotten to not include her, (each as stated previously worth five votes) the 'destined couple' will remain together, though not without a few bumps along the way.

* * *

**Chapter 12 Battling through the ages**

Asrial, princess of the Salusian race and prospective bride of Jeremy, normal human boy, sighed in irritation. She, her future husband, and that annoying tag-along Itchy-koo had gone over with a few of their friends Arnie and Akaru to Dr. Azland's to see some kind of history viewing machine. Human history however really held nothing of interest to her. _At least he's not as irritating as that steam obsessed doctor, I don't think I could stand more than a few hours with him and his crazy inventions. Plus steam makes my fur fluff out!_

The machine they were here to view was a large hologram projector that would be able to project into the present anything a unmanned time machine could see in the past. Dr Azlande, who had built perhaps the greatest time travelling devices ever seen, would enter the chronoverse in a manned machine, then shoot the unmanned probe into one of the era-bubbles. The tech was interesting to Arial, as it was far more advanced in many ways than anything she had seen on Earth, more advanced than her own races in many ways, though like any sane race they had never delved into time travel. That was just asking for a paradox to come up and bite your tail off. Well, she didn't have a tail anymore since her body had been changed to that of Earth normal, but still the principle was the same.

Asrial stretched, her lithe 5ft 4in. frame looking far more like a cat than her races name would suggest. She thrust out her chest, hoping to gain Jeremy's attention, but he was engrossed in listening to Dr. Azlandes lecture. In fact all the boys were, the only one who looked at her was Itchy-koo who smirked at her shrugging. "Better luck next time princess. Maybe if you had tits to speak of you could attract Jeremy's attention."

Asrial looked at her with a deadpan expression then let her eyes travel down the kunoichi's body. "We're nearly the same size ninja girl, so don't even go there. I'm not going to attack you, you know, so stop trying to rile me up. We're just going to have to wait until they're done and then see if we can find something fun to do."

Itchy-koo scowled for a moment then sighed. "Yeah I guess you're right, though I'm surprised all the boys are so interested in it."

Asrial shrugged, but before she could answer, a strange sound reached her Skunkian ears, which were of course better than any humans. "What's that?"

Itchy-koo looked at her frenemy with her head on one side, wondering what she was talking about. Suddenly Dr. Azlande's security alarms began to blare. "Warning Incoming temporal distortion, warning incoming temporal distortion, unknown time traveler incoming." Dr Azlande looked up from his discussion with Jeremy and the others in shock, then ran over to a computer screen set into the wall. After punching a few buttons he brought up a screen of the walkway outside his laboratory.

On the screen stood a young woman, dressed in a rather cute outfit and wielding twin copyright infringements, er beam sabers. One second she was standing there, the next she lashed out and the door was cut in two. She bounded forward into the lab. Dr. Azlande shook his head. "I don't know who she is, but we appear to have an intruder. I don't suppose I could prevail upon you youngsters to help me?"

Asrial cracked her neck eagerly, and Itchy-koo pulled out a few kunai, twirling them around her fingers. Ataru and Arnie both cracked their knuckles and Jeremy just shrugged. Dr. Azlande nodded gratefully. "Try to capture her rather than merely repel her. We need to find out why she's here."

Asrial led the charge off down the corridor toward the entrance but before they could reach it the girl had made her way to them.

* * *

May saw the four fighters coming toward her and smirked. She swiftly put her beam swords away, pulling out two small silver spheres. "Thank you Dr Peachbody! I didn't think these things would come in handy, but I was wrong!" With one hand she threw two grenades at the oncoming foursome, and with the other she threw two small spheres, the carriers for two of Dr. Peachbody's bio-synthetic monsters. One was huge, a monstrous Hydra, and the other a ogre, smaller than the other monster but still large and dangerous.

The largest defender ignored the two grenades, dodging under one and smacking said the other to explode in a passing room. One of the female fighters, both of whom had fallen back as the grenades came sailing at them, laughed. "Oh the doc is going to be so pissed at you Arnie, that was his TV room you just wrecked!"

With that said she shot through the smoke created by the twin explosions, dodging straight under the Ogres legs and popping back up to engage May, who brought her beam sabers back out to meet her enemy's blade. "I don't know who you are stranger, but know you face a Salusian princess in battle!"

May smirked, pushing the other girl back. "I don't care who you are, you idiots have no idea what you're doing messing with time, and I'm here to wreck you machines before you can do any more damage!" She swiped one blade low down at the princess's feet, while keeping her other blade locked with hers.

The Salusian jumped above the beam blade, breaking their blade lock and kicking out strongly with both feet. She caught May in the chest and sent her smashing backward through the far wall.

May shook her head groggily. The Salusian was strong that was certain. She looked up in time to see one of the hydra's head snapping down and grabbing the girl up into the air, swinging her around like a chew tow as she yelled and cursed. Another girl came out of the smoke and slashed at the beast with two strange looking knifes, then spring-boarded into the air before throwing them and pulling out two more. Following her closely was the second, smaller boy who tried to punch the great best with little effect. The last of the four had engaged the ogre, and looked to be holding his own.

May smirked, she wasn't here for a fight, she was here to destroy the time travel technology here. As long as they were concentrating on the two monsters, she was free to find and destroy her target. She reached out smashing a wall and going through the resulting hole, making her way around the fight to her objective.

* * *

It was at this point that Brianna and Brittany arrived outside the house, having stopped for some food on the way. "Damn it Brianna, I knew we shouldn't have stopped for food! Look she's already attacked them!"

A loud smash and a female curse of "Stop trying to use me as a fucking chew toy, you fucking asshole!" grabbed their attention. Brianna grinned. "Well it looks like we'll have some fun anyway. Let's get in there!"

Britt nodded and zoomed away as Brianna reached into weapons-space and pulled out one of her BFG's. She ran thru the door finding Brit already helping a few of the locals against one of the diabolical doggies bio-monsters. Brianna took a moment to look the action over.

The hydra was using two of its heads and both forearms to hold Brit off the ground so she couldn't use her speed, and another head was flattened into the far wall, evidence of why it was doing so. Two more heads were fighting a girl dressed like a ninja who was bouncing between them, slashing with some knives Brianna recognized as kunai at one head and then the other. Both were bleeding badly and one had lost an eye, but were both still fighting. Another head was fighting off a wild looking boy who jumped around like a monkey, but wasn't doing much damage. Another two heads were fighting another girl, though this one wasn't a ninja, she looked like some kind of bear, or maybe skunk, alien. She was definitely strong though, holding one heads jaws apart while kicking the teeth in of the second whenever it came close.

Brianna smirked. These gals were women after her own heart, but it looked like she was going to have to show them the meaning of peace through firepower. "Say hello to my not so little friend!" All the combatants looked at her and blanched. The weapon had a muzzle half again as large as her head, and it was glowing ominously.

Brit took one look than reached her arm out of the hydra's grip. Punching one head so hard it crashed into the other, she then pulled her remaining arm out of its grip before grabbing the ninja girl out of the air and jumping away. The young monkey looking boy took the hint and moved away too. The alien girl found herself suddenly all alone and dived out of the way.

As soon as the last friendly was clear (or maybe a few seconds before, but whatever) Brianna pulled the trigger and a huge ball of energy flew, smashing into the hydra. The hydra and everything in about ten feet in every direction blew up, flash frying both monsters and a lot of the laboratory in every direction.

As the fires began to die down Brianna nodded triumphantly. "Ah… I love the smell of explosions in the afternoon."

Britt appeared out of the smoke from one side as the alien girl did form the other. Both of them smacked Brianna upside the head, the twin impact being enough to plant her power suit and all in the floor face first. "What the hell Brianna!" Brit yelled, "You wait until your allies are out of the way then fire!"

The alien girl took her turn then. "I don't know what the hell that weapon fired, but you need to learn there are indoor and outdoor guns, and to choose the right one for the occasion! Talk about overkill!"

Itchy-Koo came out of the smoke at around that time, followed by Arnie and Ataru. No, he wasn't taking the opportunity to stare perversely at her ass, not at all… "Still, thanks for the assist, but who are you guys?"

Brit and Brianna introduced themselves and passed on why they were there. Asrial pointed back inside the semi-wrecked house. "Well if you're looking for the girl I took her out about a minute after she released the monsters. Knocked her right through a wall, heh, the monsters were much more of a fight."

Unfortunately when they reached the room Asrial had knocked her into, they found that May had made her own exit. "Uh-oh," Said Brit, before turning around at running off at cheetah speed.

* * *

While the fighters were busy with Peachbody's monsters May had made her way around the fight by the simple expedient of smashing holes in every wall she came to. For a meta-human of her strength this wasn't exactly difficult, and so she swiftly came upon the time machine, Dr. Azland, and Jeremy.

For all that he was technically engaged to two of them, Jeremy Feeple wasn't really a fighter. He was brave however, and he put himself between this strange girl and the doctor swiftly. "I-I don't know what you want," he stuttered, for a moment before gaining control of his voice, "but you're not getting past me."

May looked at him amused, "You're cute kid." She then smashed the ground hard enough to flip Jeremy over into the air, as well as the doctor, before they both landed back on the ground, the wind knocked out of them. "But I'm not here for the doctor or for you. I'm just here to smash these machines. They're causing a problem in the chronoverse that is threatening to destabilize the whole dimension, and I need to smash them to stop it and get my friend back!"

The doctor shook his head from where he had fallen to the floor looking up at her through dazed eyes. "But," he said blearily, "my machines don't cause any problems in the chronoverse, I've made certain of this several times."

May, however, wasn't listening anymore. She moved forward smashing first the unmanned probe and then two more machines before coming to Dr. Azlands main time machine itself.

The doctor tried one more time to reason with this strange young girl. "Wait," he yelled, "the machine is still on, turn it off at least before you destroy it! Who knows what could happen if we're still connected to the chronoverse and the machine explodes!"

May again ignored him smashing her fists into the machine. An explosion above them drew Jeremy's attention for a moment, but not May or the doctor's whose attention were now fixed firmly on the strange glowing sphere that had appeared where originally had been a portal to the chronoverse. It began to pulsate wildly and the machine began to make a dull humming sound that quickly filled the air. May began to back up warily looking at the sheen a little confused and quite a bit frightened. "Uh-heh, maybe I should've listened to you!"

Jeffery looked at her askance "you think!" he exclaimed just as the universe went white around them.

The entire room was consumed in a violent explosion of time, released energy and just plain old explosive force. Brit, who had just barely reached the doorway as the explosion began was picked up and flung backward like a rag doll, her hoarse yell of pain as the superheated air hit her going unremarked by anyone else.

The entire laboratory shuddered and began to collapse under the power of the explosion, which went out in all directions, including the fighters who were still trying to follow Brit's speedy progress down into the lab. Above them the house, which had already been badly battered by the explosion caused by Brianna, finally gave up the ghost and collapsed in on itself.

As the lab shook and fell all around them Asrial looked at Itchy-koo from where she had been implanted into a wall by the first explosive wave. "Well," she said sardonically. "This is another fine mess."

* * *

Back in Atlanta, Gina looked up worriedly as a specific alarm went off over the loud speakers. "Oh," she muttered "that can't be good." Ranma and the others who had come to her aid looked up from where they were cleaning up bits of monster from her lab. The hurt-bots had not been gentle.

Mita, who had been working on trying to figure out a way to power up her paradox blocker, looked up at her. "What's wrong Gina?"

Gina didn't answer, instead rushing out of lab five and down to lab one as fast as her feet could carry her. Ranma looked at the others and shrugged "I'll go see what's wrong. You guys keep working here okay? Hurtz Ryan ya wanna come with me?" The other shrugged and went back to their work save Ryan and Hurtz, who went after him

Kasumi, who had come down into the lab to search for her waste basket intercepted them, looking worried. "Gina just ran past me like the house was on fire. Is there something going on?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, unfortunately there's quite a lot going on Kasumi, I'll tell you all about it tonight at dinner, okay?" and with that he and Ryan ran past her though Hurtz bowed politely before following them. Kasumi returned the bow wondering what all was going on. Dinner was about to start in 20 minutes. _Still it must be something important to make the Digger sisters and Ranma forget about food._ Nabiki she wasn't concerned about forgetting food, as she had just made up a tray for her younger sister, who still had yet to show herself out side her room. Whatever she was doing in there must be very important to her.

Ranma nearly collided with Gina coming back out of lab one and racing back down the lab five. "Hold on Gina, where's the fire?"

"That's just it!" she exclaimed. "Brittney carries a small transceiver underneath her clothing at all times that reports back to me if she gets hurt by something strong enough to put her out for more than 5 minutes. It stopped reporting at all! Something must've gone wrong when they went to retrieve May!"

Ranma nodded grimly. "Can you get a reading or something on their location?" Gina nodded, not even looking away from her work. A moment later on the main screen of lab five there appeared a image of a totally wrecked house with what looked to be a young boy outside trying to pull away some of the debris. "Oh no" Gina moaned "They've got to be buried underneath there somewhere!"

"Well," Ryan said reasonably, "You have a way we can get there?"

Gina did in fact have a second time machine, though this one had been built by Penny when she was back in competition with Gina. It wasn't nearly as cool, frankly, as the Ginamobile, but it would serve their purposes. "Luckily this is the same era that Dr. Peachbody used to plant the bomb under my parent's house, so we won't have to worry about anymore interference from him. That's probably why he sent May on this mission anyway."

Ranma shrugged and he, Ryan, Mita and Gina got into the machine. It was incredibly cramped, and both Gina and Mita to had to climb onto the boys laps to fit as there was no way either was going to be left behind. Mita was blushing hotly as she sat down on Ranma's lap. Ranma ignored her, focusing solely on what could've happened to Brianna and Brit. Ryan on the other hand greatly enjoyed the fact that Gina had to sit on his lap for this trip, and he took full advantage of it. Not that she complained much. Thankfully, the trip was quick, pop into the chronoverse, out into the correct era. With Gina's locator on Brittney it was easy to find the correct era.

Everyone piled out as soon as they arrived. The young boy turned angrily toward them as they ran up, but Gina held up a hand. "Peace, were friends, my little sisters are in there?"

"You mean the cat chick and the trigger-happy one, the two with such huge…. Guns?" He said swiftly changing what he was saying as he realized that the person he was talking to was a woman.

"Yes, what happened here?" Gina asked as the others quickly went to work. Ataru introduced himself, and gave Gina a run down on what had happened since the weird girl, whose name he now learned was May, had attacked them.

Ranma, realizing this was a job that needed more strength that even his normal body could supply, swiftly changed into his were form and began to zoom. around picking up and throwing girders and anything else in his way to clear the house away from the entrance to the lab. Ryan followed after removing the smaller debris and paving the way for the others. Within 20 minutes of their arrival the newcomers had cleared enough of the house to get into the laboratory below.

Ranma reached out and grabbed the final girder blocking their way down into the lab and tossed it over his shoulder, clearing his friends and landing with a thump on the lawn surrounding the house. As soon as he did so he was hailed from below. "Halt!" a female voice declaimed imperiously "are you, friend or fooo woooow!"

Ranma groaned as a strange looking girl jumped out of the smoke from below and clamped onto his body "Hello hotty, she yelled "where have you been all my life! It appeared as if his pheromones had struck again, even through this smoke and fire smell, that the girl had a really good nose, possibly both.

He tried to wrench the girl off him as another girl followed up blushing, but also smirking slyly. "So, does this mean you've given up on Jeremy?"

Asrial blinked "Jeremy?" she said and then shook her head to clear it jumping away from Ranma and blushing hotly. "sorry, my people's noses are…. I mean…"

Ranma just waved her excuses "I know, sorry about it, it's this body ya see. More importantly, have you seen…"

Before he could finish the sentence Brianna jumped up out of a storage room where she had taken cover as the house began to fall down around them. "Ranma!" she exclaimed grabbing him and burying his head between her breasts. "I knew you'd come for me."

Ranma's arms waved wildly around as he tried to extricate himself from her over exuberant hug, but to no avail. _Life flashing before my eyes, not certain if this is a good way to go or a bad one._ He thought to himself, as he felt his air begin to leave his body.

Gina came up and grabbed Brianna his arm, forcing her to let Ranma go "where's Brittney?" she exclaimed.

The big guy who had been silent so far pointed over his shoulder "down that way. Unfortunately we haven't been able get through the doorway down to the main time exploration lab. It's a super-duper heavily reinforced one, and we didn't want to take the chance of bringing the whole lab down on us again by causing an explosion that could blast through it. We've been trying to make our way out outside to see if we could work the backup power and get it to open that way. Thanks for clearing a path by the way."

Gina waved his thanks away and marched down with Ranma following her and Brianna and the others following after him. They came to the door and she looked at it for a moment then to the sides and finally up to the ceiling. "We need to take this out without causing any more damage to the infrastructure of the lab." She said sternly looking over at Brianna who had been inching her gone up to firing position. Brianna pouted, but put the gun away.

Ranma shrugged, flexing his claws. "Any way to tell if there's anyone on the other side close to the door?"

Brianna shrugged and pulled out her power suits helmet from where she had stuffed it back into weapons space for a moment. Putting it on she was able to use a heat sensor to see a little ways past the door. "My readings don't indicate anything."

Ranma nodded as Asrial and the others from quagmire came up behind them "Good. He bent his hands, concentrating for a bare second filling them with energy then thrust them diagonally shouting "Cat Fist Claws!", sending his ki attack forward to slice straight through the door in too long line from one end of the corridor to the other. A neat rectangle of the doorway fell out, the power of the strike slicing through the metal of the doorway without even slowing down to impact well down the revealed corridor against the far wall.

Asrial shuddered. "Remind me never to get on your bad side catboy." She muttered. "What's your name anyway?"

Ranma stepped over the doorway into the darkness of the area beyond, holding up one hand bathed in the white light of his ki as he answered distractedly. "Ranma, Ranma Saotome. Nice to meet you an' all, but I've got a friend to find." Gina and Brianna both followed after him immediately.

Behind him Itchy-Koo cocked her head to the side for a moment, wondering why the name was familiar to her. She had heard of it somewhere before, not somewhere recent, she had seen it written down somewhere back home in her clan's mansion. She'd have to think about it more.

They found Brittney about 5 minutes later. Her body was still smoking but her werecat healing factor had already kicked in. She was able to crack her eyes open as they came toward her. "About time you showed up," she coughed, "what took you so long?"

Ranma shook his head. "Looks like this cat bit off more than she could chew huh speedy?" Cheetah growled at him a little, but that was all she could do at present.

Ranma leaned down and picked her up easily, holding her in his arms and turning back the way they came. "I'll get the injured kitty out to the fresh air and a change of clothes." Her cloths had been badly burned then she was hit by the explosion. "I don't think ya'll need me and my special talents anymore." Brit blushed hotly, though it was impossible to make out among her burns, but cuddled closer to Ranma's chest, enjoying being treated like a princess for once, even if it was by the man who was becoming her best male friend rather than her muffin.

Brianna, and the others helped the Quagmire group move on into the lab searching for their own friends. But of Jeremy, the doctor and the attacking May there was no sign. Gina came up to them as they were looking around with more and more concern and fear. She looked down at her tri-corridor (and was she ecstatic that she finally got the look and sound right!) and she said "a major temporal distortion happened here, that may be why we can't find even a hint of them!"

Asrial was the only one who figured out what she said. "So does that mean our friends are scattered throughout space and time, or just time?"

Gina looked at her with a little more respect than before. "Time actually. I don't know where they've gone, but I can figure it out with these readings and my machines back at my house."

The younger boy looked around irritably a little irritated that his rival for the Itchy-Koo's affection could still be alive out there. It wasn't like he wanted Jeremy killed but he was still interested in Itchy-Koo, who wouldn't give him the time of day as long as she had that family honor arrangement with Jeremy's family looming over her. She really wanted to be the leader of her ninja clan.

Itchy-Koo however asked, "Can someone please explain what the hell is happening here today? I mean come on, it's not every day that we're randomly attacked by a little girl who apparently can shrug off punches from Asrial and goes around with monsters who wants to destroy one of our friends labs. That's only supposed to happen on Fridays, It's not Friday!"

Asrial and the other quagmire people chuckled, and Gina grinned. "Nice to know I'm not the only one who has days like that. But you all had better come over to my house so we can explain things properly and Mita and I can figure out how to search for our friends."

As they came out of the house, they found Brit wearing one of Ranma's extra shirts, which barely fit the far bustier werecat, though she was still looking badly burned around the edges. After Gina explained that the Quagmire group was coming back with them Ranma asked "You have any way to contact Kasumi from here?"

Gina nodded, "Yes, why?"

"She'll be irritated if we bring people over for dinner without calling ahead first." Gina and the others laughed at this strange moment of courtesy after what had been a very odd day.

* * *

By the time they finished clearing up enough of the lab not to be a fire hazard any longer and split into groups to take the Ginamobile and Penny's time machine back to Gina's lab, Kasumi had been able to add enough food to her planned dinner for their guests.

Over dinner the group swapped stories explaining where they were from and what had happened today, as well as their strengths and abilities. While they hadn't run into Dr. Peachbody, the idea of a villain using the chronoverse to create his own future wasn't exactly that far-fetched to the group from Quagmire. In return Ranma was the only one that was surprised that instead of being a were-creature like he had thought Asrial was an actual alien. He still wasn't quite used to the fact that Atlantis people and the people of El Dorado were all aliens, the idea just seemed a little farfetched to him. Kasumi merely thought Asrial's ears were cute, and didn't react to the news she was an alien, believing that such things were far more possible than body changing curses.

Thankfully for Asrial (and Brit) Ranma had transformed back into his normal body as soon as they were done clearing away the house. This let her gain more control of herself, and stop blushing and trying to flirt with him. Itchy-Koo on the other hand much preferred his human form. She couldn't take her eyes off him for a few minutes after he transformed. This in turn made Ataru a little irritated, but he was careful not to show it. As he had been raised in the wild, he knew when he was faced with a predator that he had no chance fighting. Ranma radiated the kind of easy-going confidence a lion would on the grasslands. Safe to look at from a distance, but poke it with a stick and all hell would swiftly break loose.

Gina left the dinner table early to go and figure out a way to track down their friends, with Mita and Asrial leaving soon after to help. They however left much reluctantly, not used to Kasumi's excellent cooking and wanting to savor it as long as they could. Asrial even made a comment during dinner about kidnapping Kasumi to cook at the royal court. Kasumi merely smiled and replied Ranma would come to rescue her if she did, which Ranma backed up by nodding firmly, earning him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Once dinner was cleared away Kasumi and Britney began to watch movie as it was Kasumi's turn to make sure that Britney was too busy to sulk about her lover not being around.

Britney had actually moved a little bit past sadness and was now working her way toward anger. It hadn't occurred to her at first, but Strype was sort of belittling her abilities by going off alone. Yes, it was sweet of him to be worried about her and not want to involve her in his people's fights. But a couple was supposed to look out for one another and his decision to just go off alone sort of struck her as not being very trusting. Of course she would've wanted to help his people, why the hell did he just go off when she and Gina could both have helped a lot! She decided that night that when they found Strype they were going to have a very long talk.

Itchy-Koo and the boys from Quagmire joined them while Ranma went to his room to meditate. Brianna went to her room for a few minutes then left dressed in a sheer negligee, a woman on a mission.

* * *

"Ranma can we talk for a second?" Brianna asked, as she leaned against the doorway to his room.

Ranma looked up from where he had been meditating and nodded, blushing as he saw what Brianna was wearing. "S-sure Brianna what's up?"

She marched over determinedly and sat in his lap bringing both of his hands up to grasp her breasts. "This is what's up!" Ranma made to move back and she held his hands there forcefully "Ranma," she said "we've been together for weeks now and I know that you want to go slowly, but we've been doing a little too slowly for me. I'm not saying I want to jump to sex, I do but I know you're not ready for that." She smirked at him, "but I think we need to do is more than just make out whenever we can make the time. I need more nookie damn it!"

Ranma stuttered for a few moments before replying. "So you mean like dates and stuff, um I"

Breanna shook her head "normal dates are boring Maybe if we could go to Jade for a few dates that would be fine, that way we can have some adventure as well as romance but no I want more of this Ranma." She ground her rear hard on his lap in emphasis.

Ranma blushed, looked at her then looked away.

Brianna looked at him quizzically. She could feel that he had reacted to her and that took away her other worry, that he somehow didn't find her attractive, bit it left her wondering what was going on in his head. Any normal man would've jumped her bones by now but she knew Ranma wasn't like that. But even someone with his self-control should have been willing to follow along a little, which meant something else was going on here. "All right, what's wrong?"

Ranma try to avoid her gaze for a few minutes then sighed heavily. "It-it's just you're older than me and more experienced, and I'm worried that I won't be, you know" he blushed hotly and stopped talking.

Brianna sighed inwardly. As confident and poised as Ranma was in any kind of combat situation, in emotional situations he wasn't. He had some strange areas where he had no confidence whatsoever, and it appeared as if this was one of them. He was worried he wouldn't be able to satisfy her because she had more experience than he did, and thus had backed off.

"Ranma," she said gently as she took his hands and pulled them under her shirt "just do what comes naturally, trust me. You're the best kisser I've ever met, and if you can do other things as good as you can kiss you'll be just fine. And if you're worried about not measuring up in other areas" she grinned wickedly "trust me, you exceed any other man I've been with. I doubt it'll take much instruction on my part before you master this art as well as you have martial arts."

Ranma looked at her for a minute, then grinned back shyly, leaning in to capture her lips in a searing kiss, allowing his tomcat side out to play with her for the first time in a while. She leaned back as he began to play with her breasts and nipples under her shirt. _Oh yes. This was just what the doctor ordered, mama needed her nookie. Now how to break through that final barrier and get a real ride from my horsie? _Her thoughts derailed as Ranma took one of her nipples in his mouth. _ Think later nookie now!_

* * *

Early the next morning Gina and Mita stood in front of their friends, family and allies, a large screen showing a hugely complex timeline behind them. Gina spoke up: "Alright ladies and gentlemen, my colleague and I have managed to devise a way to hunt down Peachbody in the time stream. Our tracking device works on the premise of" She paused as Brit growled at her, Ranma made a snoring noise and Ryan pulled out a book while Itchy-koo started to play with a kunai. The others merely looked blank faced, and she pouted. _No one understands the importance of science!_ "Alright for those of you with single digits IQ's and attention spans to match, we have devised a way to track any kind of disturbance in the time stream, so we can track where other time travelers have interacted with it." Brit and Ranma grinned at one another having successfully headed off her science lecture.

Mita tapped a few controls and took the discussion over. "Unfortunately given the ripples still echoing through the chronoverse from the distruction of Dr. Azlands machines, we can't narrow it down any further than this, so each of these disturbances will have to be checked in person. We hope these will be Mr. Feeple, May, and Dr Azland, but one of them will be Peachbody, so the groups that are sent will be heavily armed as well as equipped with medical gear. Who knows how badly they were injured in that explosion May caused. Wherever May is though, she may be still working under the impression that Gina is endangering the timeline, so some diplomacy will be required with her. We'll split up into teams, each team to take on place before coming back here, making a report and then moving on to the next. Thankfully we were able to find and repair one of Dr Azlands earlier time machines, so we can split into three teams."

Brianna spoke up from where she was sitting. "How're we going to pick the teams? I call Ranma!"

Ranma shook his head. "I should probably go with either Gina or the doc. I'd like ta go with you Bri-chan, but you can protect yerself, they can't." Brianna was torn between irritation and pleasure at this statement as he went on, tugging his pigtail. "And er, I should go with 'em anyway, 'cause I have no idea how to use the time devices anyway. Another thing you can do I can't Bri'."

Gina nodded solemnly. "The doctor and I will be going to the disturbance that we think is May together, but having a body guard will still be a good thing." What she didn't say was that she wanted to keep Ranma close because she was uncertain how his chaos factor would impact their time travelling. She was almost certain nothing would happen, but almost wasn't good enough when you could accidentally erase yourself from existence. "Team one will be Brit, Asrial, Ataru and Ryan. Team two will be Brianna, Itchy-koo, Arnie and Séance. Team three is Mita, Genn, me and Ranma. If any team finds one of our friends, they should immediately hit the recall button on their assigned time machine, they've been programmed to come straight back here." She held up another device about two feet long that looked like a cross between a rocket and a radar dish. "The moment a team finds Peachbody they need to plant this, it'll send out a signal that will inform everyone else of their location and act as a homing device, allowing the other teams to home in on them."

She glared at Ranma, Brit and Brianna, who she considered the most likely to cause trouble. She didn't know the Quagmire group well enough to know about them. "Remember anything we do in the past will affect the present. I want everyone to be very careful what you touch, do and who you meet. Got it!?" All three of them nodded solemnly, but Gina still had to fight off a sudden chill going down her spine.

Ranma stood up, cracking his neck explosively. "Let's get this done already, the sooner shut Peachbody down, the sooner we get back to work on finding Strype." Brit looked at him gratefully and he smiled encouragingly at her.

Brianna nodded too, reaching over and pulling her sister into a hug. "Penny agreed to take over building the spaceship, but yeah, we really need to step it up. Let's go!"

Everyone cheered and Mita spoke up in turn. "Team one you're going to go to the earliest point of causal interference, the Amazon rainforest sometime in the age of the dinosaurs. You won't have any locals to look out for, but you will have to watch out for dinosaurs. Pack some heavy firepower just in case, but make certain not to wipe out any species." Ryan and Ataru grinned while Asrial and Brit nodded determinedly. Two hurtbots walked in carrying a variety of Brianna made guns, and Asrial and the others walked over, perusing the section as one of the hurt-bots acted like a salesman on commission, extolling the virtues of each gun they looked at in turn.

As the three of them began to tool up, Gina took over the dissertation. "Team two will be going to ancient Egypt, somewhere in the Mojave Desert. around 3000 B.C Don't carry anymore tech or weapons than necessary, as you'll have to watch out for the locals." Brianna pouted while Arnie scowled, but Séance and Itchy-koo nodded seriously. Brianna however made no mention of the weapons and gear she always had on her in weapons space. It was always nice to have an ace or five up your sleeve.

"Team three will be going to one disturbance that occurred in ancient Japan in the time of the Shogunate." Ranma looked up sharply at that. That was one of the most dangerous eras in Japan, and one in which several well known martial artists had lived.

Mita took over again as team one walked over to the first time machine, armed to the teeth. "Good luck everyone. Find out friends, get them back her safe, then find that dog and his boy the others and shut down this threat for good!"

* * *

Team one exited their time machine to find themselves in what looked like the Amazon rainforest. The screeching and bellowing of large beasts moving through the forest fit in with the dinosaur era, which was where they were supposed to be. The noises overhead of high-speed lasers and explosions however were not features normally expected when going into the distant past. Nearly a second after the last of them exited the time machine, a stray missile exploded about twenty feet away, blowing up a great clump of earth and causing the wildlife to scatter wildly. As they took cover under trees and stared up in shock. Another stray shot, this time a laser beam, flashed out above them, vaporizing a few treetops. Ataru shouted, "What in the world is going on here?! I thought we were supposed to go to the age of dinosaurs, not be transported into some sci-fi flick!"

Asrial gasped as a huge ship flew by overhead, firing back the way it had come from. "I recognize that design! It's an old Atlantean colony ship! What's it doing on Earth?!"

Brit looked up in interest from next to her "Really?" Asrial nodded, her face still showing her confusion and Brittany nodded. "That might mean…." she looked over into the distance and yelled "it is, that's El Dorado, I'd recognize that top spire anywhere! This must be when they and the Atlanteans arrived on earth and ran into one another. I wonder if we can do something to help them or…" She said this under her breath but someone still heard.

From behind them a voice said slowly, "That would be incredibly bad for both the timeline and for you personally. Not only would it cause a time paradox, you personally would probably be captured or killed if you attempted to get on a ship that is locked in combat with it's mortal foes." They turned to find the doctor there. Looking much the worse for wear, with a makeshift bandage around his head, cracked glasses and several burn marks on his long brown coat. "I'm glad I stuck around where I landed, I knew the temporal distortion would be strongest here so anyone coming after us would be able to find me more easily that way.

Asrial, sighed in relief but then grabbed Brittany's tail as she tried to sneak away. "where the heck do you think you're going Cheetah?"

Ryan also came over with Ataru, who immediately began to look over Dr. Azland, replacing his makeshift bandages with real ones and checking for any other wounds. "Brittany growled "let me go! If I can somehow sabotage that ship my muffin won't be able to leave!"

"Or," Asrial said reasonably, "if you somehow can sabotage that ship the Atlantean may kill them all and your honey won't be ever be born."

Brittany gasped at that idea, and Ryan put a friendly arm around her shoulder, making sure it was friendly by keeping his hand on her shoulder and not wandering down the magnificent vista below, as he would have with Gina. He knew Brit would not take kindly to the come on. "Come on Brit, let's get the doctor into the time machine, hit the retrieval button and head on home."

Brit looked over longingly wanting to do something, anything to keep her muffin from leaving her. But then she sighed and turned away. Maybe this was for the best. Her and technology didn't really mix well, and Dr Azland did look like he was on his last legs. "Ok, lets get out of here."

Asrial nodded, but did not let go of Cheetah's tail until they were all back inside the time machine. Brit continued to look out of the windows while the time machine started up. In the distance she could see the two colony ships break off combat, both heavily damaged. The time machine disappeared as in the distance there was a tremendous boom as the ship that brought Strype's ancestors to earth crashed into the ground it would inhabit for millennium.

* * *

Brianna, Séance, Itchy-Koo and Arnie did not have nearly as easy a time of it. For one thing their time machine couldn't go to the exact coordinates of the temporal distortion, because it was in an ancient Egyptian city. Because of this, they found themselves in the desert sands of Egypt, about two miles away from the city. As Arnie and Brianna sorted out their weaponry from what she had brought in her weapons space, Séance and Itchy-koo hid the time machine. Though she didn't want to show it Itchy-koo was very worried for her friend/fiancé. "Do you think he's all right?" She wondered.

Séance shrugged and walked over to touch each of the others foreheads for a moment muttering something under his breath. "There," he said, "I used a translation spell, now we'll be able to speak to any of the locals we meet." Brianna nodded. Thanks Séance, now I know why you were assigned to this team. I thought for sure that you would go with Ranma and his group as they didn't have any long-range firepower."

Séance coughed uncomfortably "Well, I'm only an apprentice after all long-range firepower really hasn't been covered yet in my studies with Dr. Diggers, he believes in mastering the basics before going on to the more esoteric spells."

Brianna laughed "okay, but you do make do with what you've got pretty good, not everyone can say they survived a close encounter with Pee-wee's goons after all."

Séance blushed uncomfortably at the praise, after all, most of the fighting had been done by Ryan he had simply been trying to stay alive. Turning he looked at Itchy-koo and Arnie. "Do either of you have anything of Jeremy is on you?"

Arnie shrugged, but Itchy-Koo reached into her fold space pocket pulling out a picture of the Quagmire crew posing together. Around it was wrapped a handkerchief that Jeremy had given her a few days ago when she had a coughing fit. "I was planning to return it when we went back home after visiting with the doc, along with the picture but I guess I'll have to wait."

Séance gently took the handkerchief and used a variant of the 'point me' aura tracking spell. In his hand appeared a hand sized arrow that pointed out away over the desert, away from the city where Jeremy had landed strangely. "That way," he said calmly.

Itchy-koo cocked her head to the side. "I wonder what happened to him." None of the others had an answer to that and they all began to walk off.

The group walked for several hours, thankful beyond belief that Arnie had thought ahead and brought hats for them all to ward off the heat from the burning sun and that Brianna had brought drinks along. About an hour after the second water break they saw a large rocky outcropping or hill in the distance. At the same time something flew overhead at near supersonic speeds. "What do you think that was?" Arnie asked.

Brianna and the others shrugged. "I've no idea, though there shouldn't be anything native to the society of this area and region that can fly, let alone that fast."

The answer to this question was soon provided for them however, as the object came streaking back to stop in the air right above them. It was a man, Egyptian by his appearance, powerfully built and wearing a mask that completely covered his face that looked like a cross between a lizard's face and a Pharaoh's headdress. The man landed in front of them, and with a burst of magic the outfit disappeared, leaving behind a slightly scrawnier man with a very familiar face. "Ace?!" Brianna asked, "what the heck…"

The man took a step backward in shock. "How, how do you know my name is Ays?"

Arnie whispered out of the side of his mouth to Séance "Well we know that your translation programs is working at least."

Brianna said "no I… you know what never mind it'd take too long to explain. Sorry for the mix up, but we have something we need to be doing."

"I agree time is of the essence," said the man, "though I have to wonder why you for travelers such as yourselves and so strangely garbed and armed are traveling towards the current layer of my nemesis Sith. Because of interference a few days ago from a very odd source a good friend of mine was captured. A similarly garbed young man came out of nowhere and slammed into me, allowing Sith and Salamander to get away."

"Wow," Brianna muttered. "I'm really glad there aren't any lawyers here, a name like that is just asking for a lawyer to come up and slap a copyright infringement on your ass."

Itchy-Koo on the other hand, kept her attention on what was most important. "That young man was one of our friends. We had a fight near a device that catapulted him here." She didn't want to outright say they were from the future or anything, after all Gina and Mita had both explained that doing so would be a bad thing..

Her dissembling however was wasted. "The orb which grants me my power informs me that you are from the future. And," he looked over at Brianna "he says that you are a trouble child for some reason."

Brianna shrugged unrepentantly "I am what I am."

"Indeed," Ays said thoughtfully, "Perhaps we should work together here. My enemies, two of the prisoners who my foolishness set free when I took up the orb, took your friend too ask about his strange teleportation ability. Well I say ask more torture really."

"Torture?" said Arnie ominously.

Ays ignored him continuing "and they have my friend the Princess."

Brianna grinned a little impishly and looked over at Itchy-Koo who nodded conspiratorially "Only a friend?" They chorused causing Ays to blush hotly.

He stuttered, for a moment then ignored them anyway. "H-however their defenses are too good for me to just force my way in there and save them both, defeating Salamander and Sith would take too much time and one of them at least would be free to kill off their prisoners. I need some kind of distraction."

Brianna grinned wickedly, "distractions we can do."

* * *

With the help of Brianna's powersuit and the so-named Dragon Pharaoh the trip to the distance rocky hills took 5 minutes. They stopped just outside of where Ays said the escaped prisoners could sense them and powered down going in on foot. Itchy-Koo and Séance, using 'presence mask' and a few other spells disappeared up the mountain while Brianna and Arnie went with Ays to the front door, with Ays breaking off halfway to hide where he could see the entrance. The two gun users were going to cause a ruckus to bring the villains out to deal with them and give the sneaking group an opening. Ays would wait until the proper moment to start his own assault. It was a good plan even if it had been made up on the fly.

* * *

Inside the villain's lair all was not well. Sith and Salamander, a pair whose alliance was very reluctant in the first place, had been further strained by the appearance of Maelstrom, the most physically powerful and imposing of the villains Ays had released upon removing the Dragon orb from its resting place. "Damn it!" said Sith, the female of the group. She stood around 5'5" cut with an extremely curvaceous body that she showed off to good effect with her tight snake skin outfit, though the words coming out of her mouth weren't nearly as pretty. "You can't just mosey into my plan and expect to takeover Maelstrom! I don't care who you are or how powerful, I'm the one who put in the legwork, I'm the one that put in the time and captured the target I am in charge!" She made no mention of the fact she and Salamander had been saved by the inexplicable appearance of the young human boy, who was still comatose in the corner.

"Sith," Maelstrom said, glowering down at her from his own height of 7' excluding his horns, "Sith dear, do you really want another demonstration of my power? Besides, neither of you have the power necessary to kill the Dragon Pharaoh. Only I have that much power, and even for me it would be a very difficult task. We need to work together!"

Princess Penniamen shrugged from where Salamander was still holding her "whatever" she said, sounding more like a valley girl then a Princess of Egypt. "The Dragon Pharaoh's just going to blast the lot of you into the world beyond in the end, just like always."

Sith would've taken umbrage at this but Maelstrom simply patted her head. "How cute, but would he come at us with his full power knowing you're here Princess? No he'll come carefully trying to sneak in to rescue you and he will be destroyed before he can bring his full power to bear on us." Just as he said this however a loud booming noise was heard and many a gigantic explosion rocked the cavern.

Penny gasped in shock and Sith said sardonically "you were saying?"

Maelstrom on the other hand, shook his head. "That was not the Dragon Pharaoh's power; I haven't felt anything like that before, it almost felt like it was non-magical in origin." Sith and Salamander looked at him askance but shrugged and all three raced outside though not before Sith used her powers to bind Penniamen to her throne.

Outside Brianna and Arnie were taking pot shots at the front entrance of the cavern Ays had said was Sith's hideout. As soon as the bad guys appeared they broke off and raced away down the hill. Surprisingly all three pursued. "They're just some adventurers or something that found magic weapons and think they're hot sssshit" Sith said, scowling "let's kill them quickly and get back before the Dragon Pharaoh shows up."

Behind them Itchy-Koo and Séance made their way into the entrance and then from there down into the hideaway. They found Jeremy still unconscious and injured from his trip through time, and someone who looked a lot like Penny to Séance's eyes. "Are you the Princess?" he asked as Itchy-koo check Jeremy over, then lifted the young boy to her shoulder in a fireman's carry.

The Penny look-alike glared at them "yes I am, but where's the Dragon Pharaoh? He is the one that's supposed to rescue me!"

"He's waiting to ambush the bad guys as soon as we get you free."

"Ambush," she muttered, even as Séance freed her from her chains "that doesn't sound very heroic."

Itchy-Koo shrugged carefully, making certain not to aggravate any of Jeremy's wounds. "Heroic or not it's going to be effective, come on."

Outside Brianna and Arnie had been pinned down by the ex-prisoner's firepower. Brianna in particular, was susceptible, as she was part were-creature magic could harm her more than if she had been a human. Arnie though, was proving his worth as a sniper because whenever Maelstrom tried to power up one of his more powerful attacks to destroy the boulder they were hiding behind, he would pop out and nail him with a rifle round in the head. His blows weren't doing any damage to the big alien really, but they were enough to break his concentration. Sith paused for a moment as she went to use her power to drag them out into the open. "This is too easy." She muttered. "What if they were already working with the Dragon Pharaoh?"

She turned to go back and Brianna popped out of the rocky outcropping they were hiding behind and using one of her smaller weapons fired at her, hitting her in the ass with her laser. "Oh no you don't honey, I've still got more power cells to burn!" She giggled happily as she ducked back behind the boulder. "I still get to potshot the assholes even if I didn't get to the tower prison all those weeks ago. Good deeds are indeed rewarded!"

Arnie looked at her askance as she still began to giggle strangely and take potshots around their rock at the same time. He was beginning to think that cheetah girl was not exactly all there upstairs.

Sith yelled at the others. "They're trying to keep us pinned down here so someone else can rescue the princess and that other human we found. One of you pin them down here. I'll go back and make sure that the Princess stays put!"

Maelstrom shook his head. "No we must stick together. It's only together we can defeat did Dragon Pharaoh!"

At the same time, Penny and the Jeremy were already out of the cavern and being taken down the slope by Itchy-koo and Séance. As soon as they were away from the lair the Ays activated his power from where he had been hiding and raced into the combat. Sith glared at maelstrom "you idiot, we should have treated, we could have caught them all in the cave!"

Salamander was the first fall turning his back on Brianna he was hit in the back of the head by a cryogenic grenade she made to capture enemies that went off, reezing him in place. The Dragon Pharaoh simply waved a finger at him and a portal appeared underneath him, transporting him directly back into his prison cell back in the tower. Sith took one look at the oncoming Dragon Pharaoh, another look over her shoulder at the still holding out Arnie and Brianna and took off down the mountain.

"Oh no you don't little doggie!" Brianna shouted and roared after her in her powersuit. "You concentrate on the big guy, I've got the little snake girl"

Arnie shrugged, seeing he wasn't need anymore he leaned back against a rock. "This should be good." Itchy-koo and Séance joined him there to watch the action.

Brianna caught up with Sith not two minutes later and pounded her into the ground with repeated strafing runs.

By the time she dragged the villainess back to the Dragon Pharaoh his fight was over as well, having tricked the mighty Maelstrom into attacking him head on and simply disappearing allowing him to fall into a portal Ays had created hidden behind him.

Sith was a mass of bruises, bleeding marks and burns. As soon as she saw the Dragon Pharaoh she broke away from her captor and went to her knees in front of him. "Please, please get me away from her!" She wailed. "She's crazy! I tried to surrender and she just kept firing and laughing!"

The Pharaoh took one look at her and waved his hands again. "Brianna went over to her friends who were standing around Jeremy's still unconscious body. Everybody ready to go?" She said grinning. "Don't know about all of you, but I've had a great time!"

The group all nodded and before the Dragon Pharaoh could even thank them Brianna grabbed Jeremy and Itchy-koo and took off while Séance placed a hand on Arnie's shoulder, teleporting the two as far as he could in one go back the way they had come. It took him another five jumps to get them back to the time machine, but they still beat Brianna and her passengers there.

* * *

Back home, they found team one having already found doctor Azland. The only group to have not reported in yet was Ranma's but Brianna wasn't really worried, Ranma could look after himself and she would protect her sister too. Jeremy was immediately taken to the medical lab, where Itchy-koo and Asrial dumped him straight into Gina's regeneration tube. They both took the opportunity to check him out, leaving Asrial pleased and Itchy-koo not so much. Then again she had been reading quite a lot to ecchi doujin, so her hopes were probably a little too high.

The doctor had ignored all offers of medical attention however, and had immediately begun to work on Gina's computers that were monitoring the chronoverse and time stream. About ten minutes after team two got back he called everyone back to lab five. "I think I found doctor Peachbody" he said grimly, "he's about 1000 years in the future from where your group was previously Brianna, he's trying to do something to the Sphinx, which according to Miss Digger's files is a alien starship. If he can get control of that alien technology plus Mita's time machine technology he'll be unstoppable."

Brianna shrugged thinking the doctor was exaggerating but she was always ready for another fight. "All right, so let's put a hit team together and go after them. Can you tell if he knows we're coming or anything about how far along he is?

The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid not. This technology isn't nearly as precise my own, and rebuilding my own would take far too long."

Brittany declined to go along. "I don't think you'll need me along if it's just Peachbody and his doggie boy. I want to go over and see how Penny's doing with the design of the spaceship." Brit's inability to do anything in the past to stop her muffin leaving the future was weighing heavily on her, and she needed to see some progress being made on going after him. Asrial and the other girls nodded considerately and so the group that was heading into the past again was Asrial. Ataru, Arnie, Brianna and Ryan. Itchy-koo declined as well, citing her desire to watch Jeremy. She also wanted to write her grandfather a letter, something about Ranma's name was still bothering her and she wasn't going to get any peace until she knew why. Asrial nearly declined at that point but decided to go with the hit team.

* * *

By the time they arrived doctor Peachbody was halfway through taking control of the spaceship. He hadn't thought the Diggers or anyone else could come after him and was sitting languidly on a divan watching as some of his server drones continued to open different parts of the spaceship and bring them under his control. He and Benji however turned quickly as the port time portal opened up dumping out Asrial's attack group appeared. Tapping a button he had discovered activated the Sphinx' attack drones Dr. Peachbody said philosophically. "Oh well, the floor show was getting tedious anyway. This looks much more fun. Benji, dispose of them all please." With that said Benji jumped forward toward the intruders as dozens of robots made to look like mummies came out of their holding sarcophagi.

Brianna grinned, her favorite kind of area, a target rich one!

* * *

Ranma got out of the ginamobile as it appeared in a field in a forest, stretching spectacularly, not even aware that both Mita and Gina were watching him as he did with bright blushing faces. Genn was busy looking around them, wondering why his senses were going haywire. "So this is ancient Japan? Any idea why May was sent here?"

"No idea, it was probably just completely random. Dr. Azland's time machine was still active when she destroyed it after all, so she's probably lucky she'd didn't simply cease to exist at all. On the other hand, maybe some other time traveler was here previously and that weakened the bubble enough for her to be sent here instead of anywhere else." Gina answered as she got out her tricorder. Mita joined her in looking for clues as to where May might have gone.

"Oh" Ranma said, not really understanding what she had just said, "So it doesn't have anything to do with the Itchy-Koo look-alike whose collapsed by the trees over there?"

Gina and Mita both looked over where he was pointing and gasped. Genn too looked, and moved forward. "Ranma if you see someone like that why didn't you say so immediately. We have to help her!"

"She's faking it" Ranma answered blandly, looking away from the girl up into the surrounding trees. "Those other ninjas in the trees must be after her for some reason, they kind of suck at stealth though. I was expecting better, I mean come on guys, can't any of you mask your presence better than this?"

Several more ninjas suddenly appeared all around them looking very angry. As Ranma had spoken in Japanese they all understood him and that they had just been dissed badly. "You may have seen through art hitting techniques stranger, but you are no match for our martial arts skills. Surrender, and you and the foreigners will not be killed immediately." Each ninja was armed with a long sword and brandished them threateningly.

Mita whispered to Gina, "How am I able to understand them, I can't speak Japanese."

Gina answered out of the side of his mouth. "That would be because of me, I produce a field that allows everyone around me to speak the same language."

Ranma laughed and then moved like lightning. Within 3 seconds he had disarmed at each of the ninjas and made a ring of their blades in a nearby tree. "You were saying assholes?"

"Ranma," Gina growled "do you have to be so confrontational."

Ranma looked from her to the ninjas back to her and finally said "Yes," in a pseudo-thoughtful tone. "Yes, I think I do!" With that he charged forward, as the ninjas pulled out kunai and charged forward to meet him. Ranma smacked one of them with a flying kick, before grabbing the arm of one as he thrust his knife forward, turning and using him like a bludgeon on the ninja next to him, then kicked out sending them both into a tree. Another ninja tried to stab Ranma in the back but he did a split, letting the blade pass by overhead, before rocketing up and head-butting that ninja under the chin. The last ninja had tried to capture Mita of Gina, but had run into a transformed Genn's fist, that put him into la-la land. Ranma stood up easily, not even winded. "Is that it, so lame."

He looked over at the Itchy-koo lookalike who had sat up halfway through the fight and watched wide eyed as this stranger mangled her pursuers so easily. "So, what's your story girl? Runaway from the clan, runaway from an arranged marriage, rival clan, what?"

The girl stood up. "A bit of the last one stranger. Thank you for your help, but I really must be on my way. I have a message to deliver that is of vital importance to my clan."

"Wait!" Mita stopped her from leaving, producing a picture or May. "Have you seen a girl like this?"

The kunoichi looked at the picture and nodded. "Well, it appears as if we have the same destination. Yes I recognize her, she appeared two days ago out of thin air the stories say, about two days ago. She was badly hurt, and was taken to our castle. I am on my way there to deliver a message from the shogun. If I can get there with it, my clan will be free to from its own ninja clan rather than remain subordinate to the Rivalson clan. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Icci."

Gina nodded happy to have a guide, but Mita looked worried about the badly injured part of that statement. Gina turned and pressed a button on her tricorder, which activated the ginamobile's defense systems and cloaking device. The car disappeared slowly, eliciting a shocked gasp from the young kunoichi. "Great, lets get moving."

The odd group marched off into the woods, leaving the clearing empty, or so most of them thought. Ranma however paused as he stepped into the tree line, to raise a hand and do a one finger salute toward a specific tree on the other side of the field.

* * *

In that tree stood Daishi, the best ninja in the realm, who just so happened to be working with the Rivalson clan at present. He narrowed his eyes at what was obviously both a sign of disrespect and a sign that the stranger knew he was there. Next to him another ninja, who had stayed back from the group asked "What should we do now lord Daishi? Our orders are still to take the scroll but that stranger is formidable, and the others possess odd magic."

Daishi shook his head at the narrow focus of his fellow ninja. His own thoughts were centered on the power of that mechanical object the girl with glasses commanded. Such a thing would be worth more gold than the Rivalson's had in their entire history in the right hands. "We follow them of course, perhaps when they grow complacent an ambush can be set. Go, get the rest of your clans ninjas here, we may need them just in case."

* * *

About three hours travel brought the group out of the woods and to a hill, on the top of which stood a castle. Icci broke off trying to flirt with the unresponsive Ranma to point up at it. "There travelers is the home of my family. We have lived there for generations, retainers to the Rivalson clan, but once I reach my father with the message I carry, it will be the seat of our own ninja clan!"

Ranma nodded appreciatively. "Nice, reminds me of a few castles I saw back home. Hope I don't have to fight my way out of this one though." He was thinking of the pure hell Kodachi could make getting out of the Kuno estate when he said this.

Icci giggled, latching her arms around one of his, making certain to press her teenage body against him, causing Ranma to blush slightly. "Well don't worry about that Ranma-san, with the ninjas you beat back in the clearing, you pretty much cleared out the Rivalson ninjas stationed in the area. Only my family and a few of Redno's personal guards will be here, as he will be on hand to see if the message is truly from the shogun."

Ranma coughed uncomfortably and the group made their way up the mountain. At the entrance to the castle, a massive closed door, Icci shouted "Hey open up!"

A older heavily muscled man came out, glaring at Ranma and his group. "What do you want ronin?"

Ranma smirked and opened his mouth to reply but before he could Icci suddenly appeared behind the guard, knocking him out with a swift chop to the back of the neck. "There, that was one of Rendo's guards, we should be home free. First I'll deliver the message to my father and Rendo, then I'll take you to your friend."

"First though we should probably do something about the ninjas up on your roof with bows and arrows" Ranma commented. Everyone turned to stare up at the roof and sure enough five ninja stood there with drawn bows. Next to them stood Daishi with a sword in his hands, which he waved forward commanding, "Fire!"

The five loosed arrows aiming for Icci and the powerful stranger. Ranma jumped around avoiding their shots and then hopped onto the roof, kicking the furthest ninja on the left so hard he caromed into the next three, taking all four of them to the ground. Icci dealt with the last one as he turned to gape at Ranma, a thrown kunai hitting him in the head. Daishi growled low in his throat. Now he knew he would have to overcome this Ranma before he could capture his allies. No matter, he would be no match for the Daishi.

He leaped forward bringing his sword down as all around the house alarms blared at the sudden attack. Ranma dodged to one side, jumping over the next slash and using near Amaguriken speed to slam six hard shots into his enemies head. Daishi staggered, but brought his sword up and around swiftly to cut into the air Ranma had just left, nicking his shirt but with no other damage. Ranma in turn hammered a strike into his enemy's chest, though his eyebrows quirked as he felt something like a scroll of something underneath the ninja's clothing. _Now what could that be I wonder. _With that thought Ranma continued the fight, his cat-given curiosity spurning him on in an act few could believe possible: stealing from a ninja. The two continued to dance around one another, neither bale to land another punch as around them the rest of the castle responded to the alarm, as did the waiting RIvalson forces on the ground below the castle.

Gina pulled Mita close, activating her personal force field as ninjas suddenly began to come over the walls. They were met by an old man in white and several other ninjas. "I don't know what the meaning of this is, but you will not find the Icchinoei house so easy to invade!" He shot forward with speed that belied his apparent age, smacking several ninja to the ground with punishing blows. Icci moved to join her father yelling "father I have the message, but it looks like the RIvalson clan doesn't want to let us go!"

"Rendo! The old man turned to yell back inside at a much younger man with smooth black hair and a face that somehow radiated smarmy self-confidence. "What is the meaning of this, if my daughter has the message then it means the shogun has given the go-ahead for us to create our own clan, would you defy the shogun?!"

The younger man frowned, but before he could answer Diashi and Ranma slammed through the wall next to him. Daishi was looking a little worse for wear, but not so much, and Ranma only had a few nicks on him in various places. Neither were close to being out of the fight, something Ranma was having a lot of fun with. It wasn't often these days he met a warrior who could keep up in speed with him.

Rendo glared at the other ninja. "Daishi what are you doing!?" he hissed. "You wer supposed to take care of the message quietly, this isn't quiet you fool, if Icci has the message this looks as if we are trying to go against the shogun's orders!"

Daishi sneered at him. "You had no problem with that as long as you couldn't be caught at it worm. But she doesn't have the message, the real message is right..." he reached inside his shirt only to pause eyes widening.

Ranma grinned, spinning a small scroll on his fingers from where he stood beside Icci and her father. "You looking for this?" Behind them Genn and the other Ichinoei clan had completed pushing the Rivalson ninjas out of the castle.

Daishi's eyes widened first in surprise then anger. "You!" He was so angry his plans to take Gina hostage and force her to give him command of her mechanical device went right out the window. He brought his hands forward in his most devastating technique. "Perfect Death Strike!"

A beam of Ki lashed out and Ranma grabbed Icci and dodged to the side, letting it pass to impact the outer wall. He put a blushing Icci down and smirked at Daishi. "You want to play that game, fine!" He brought his own hands together and fired off his own ki attack as Daishi fired off another one. "Moko ha Reiku!"

The power of the Moko ha Reiku, which was pure ki laced with his elemental affinity, impacted Daishi's anger based ki attack. The two attacks seemed to be even for a few seconds, but only for a few seconds as the gold and white beam of Ranma's ki attack overpowered the deep maroon of Daishi's, blasting through and slamming into Daishi. The so called greatest ninja in the land barely had time to scream before his body was struck by the beam, the power behind it frying him instantly. What was left of him fell to the ground, dead before he hit the ground.

At this sight Rendo gulped, his mind going into overdrive to think of a way to get out of here without having to face the strange warrior. "I-ichinoei, I must apologize for my subordinates. T-hey seems to have been taken in by Daishi's ambition, none of this was at my orders I assure you."

The old man smirked, knowing the lie for what it was but willing to go along with it for now. "Very well Rendo, as we are now separate clans, I will allow you to take your warriors and leave, but do not think we will not be watching you." Behind him Icci made a face at Rendo, sticking her tongue out at him.

Rendo ignored her with difficulty nodding equably and whistling through his teeth the retreat single to his ninjas. "Very well Ichinoei, I will be leaving now. Perhaps in the future our clans can have better relations, but for now wariness will indeed be better all around." _After all, we've already made a fortune from using your family old fool. We don't need you anymore, certainly not for the price forcing you to serve would demand._

As Rendo left, the clan head turned to the strangers. "I must thank you all for your intervention here. Without you who knows how this battle would have gone."

Icci spoke up, lips quirked in irritation from looking at the message scroll Ranma handed her. "We would have certainly lost, after all without this we would have been seen as merely rebelling against our parent clan. Rendo and Daishi could have wiped us out."

Mita responded for the group, worried about her friend. "Well, thank you, but we really came here to retrieve our friend, if you could show us to her that would be much appreciated." Icci nodded and led the group inside. In one of the rooms on the second floor they found May, comatose from her wounds, which appeared to be a mix of broken bones and burns. She was the closest to Dr. Azland's time machine when it blew, and had taken a lot of damage from it. Mita ran over to her and immediately began to diagnose her injuries. After a moment she leaned back sighing in relief. "If we can get her some real medical attention she should pull through fine. The worst injuries seem to be internal, and beyond… local medical practice to heal." Mita was an old hand at not saying things like 'this time periods' and other clues that could give away the fact she was a time traveler.

Ranma nodded, leaning down and picking up May, futon and all. "Let's get back to the Ginamobile then. Genn, you take Gina, I'll take these two ok? Icci, nice ta meet ya and all, but we got places to go friends to meet and a doggie to neuter." He knelt down and Mita, after a moment's hesitation got onto his back. When she had a firm grip, he took off running out of the castle and down the hill into the forest beyond.

Icci sighed sadly at seeing the gorgeous hunk leave, and her grandfather shook his head. "Well if you must rush off to get your friend more medical attention than we can provide I can understand, but we really do need to do something to pay you all back for your help. Especially that young man. Perhaps" he said slyly looking at his granddaughter out of the corner of his eyes, "a marriage contract between our families would be in order." Icci gulped, blushing brightly, but didn't to object.

Gina who had been about to hop onto the buffed out Genn's back, paused, grinning wickedly. A few minutes later, the two of them left the castle to try and catch up with their friends. Genn shook his head. "You do know that Ranma is going to get back at you for that right?"

Gina smirked. "Yep, but it'll be worth it to see his face when he realizes he's the cause of this marriage contract not his father. I predict at least a few days of fun before he realizes I had a hand in it."

Genn shrugged as they entered the forest. "If you say so, don't say I didn't warn you though."

* * *

Team three returned with May to find they were the last to arrive. Dr Azland immediately told them he had found Peachbody and Ranma turned right around, heading toward Penny's time machine. Since Gina wanted to stay and make certain May was taken care of Dr. Azland ignoring his own wounds took controls of the machine and they took off. Mita frowned as May was put in the regeneration chamber. "Gina, how accurate is your machine when travelling to future eras?" Gina looked at her eyes cocked, but a moment later joined Mita in grinning evilly.

* * *

One-on-one Ryan and his team would've been no match for Benji but taken altogether they were able to push him back steadily..

Ryan in particular was ecstatic, his last attack had been a ki attack based on the ones Daishi and Ranma used, though it took a lot out of him. He was barely able to keep his feet for a few seconds after firing it off. "He's a lot better than the last time we fought but he's no match for a good old-fashioned gang up. Call off you boy doggie, we don't want to hurt him."

"Oh really, how else do you think this conflict will work out." Doctor Peachbody growled watching as Brianna gunned down another robo-mummy. "This isn't game boy, we're not going to just walk away and say it's a 'fair cop Gov.' I win and you will die. Learn how badly you are outmatched now. Benji, remove your inhibitor." At this command the loyal guard boy reached up and removed his collar. Suddenly he grew three feet in height, his muscles became even much more defined and his entire body seemed to pump up as if on instant steroids.

But it wasn't only his strength that increased, his speed had as well which Ataru found out as he leapt forward, aiming a spinning heel kick at their opponents face. Benji grabbed the boys foot, and before anyone could move slammed Ataru's body fast first into the ground.

The others charged forward, only to find themselves overmatched against the behemoth.

Ryan tried to get in close slamming a few hard shots into Benji's midriff, but the giant didn't even flinch, hammering Ryan aside with a single haymaker to the side of his head. Ryan's feet left the ground as his head exploded in agony, only his rolling with the punch keeping him from being knocked out immediatly. He rolled to the side narrowly missing the follow up stomp as the mercenary and Asrial rushed in. Ryan got to his feet, but his woozy stance, bloody eye and mouth denoted the damage he had taken.

Arnie made the mistake of trying to bull rush Benji, and the guard boy sidestepped easily, kicking him hard in the side and following up with another haymaker. The mercenary took the hit and returned one of his own as Asrial pounded on Benji's back with a strong three hit combo.

As the mercenary went down Benji turned and a huge round house came at Asrial so fast she had no chance of dodging it. She brought her arms forward in a blocking position, screaming in pain as the blow landed, her arm breaking under the blow. Asrial shot backwards, the momentum of the punch lifting her into the air and throwing her away.

However the fight thus far had bought themselves some time, and behind them the temporal beacon flashed again, bringing in another group of their time lost companions. Ranma and Dr Azland had arrived.

Ranma caught Asrial as she was smashed backward by the haymaker from Benji, holding her gently as she regained her footing. "Hey Skunky." Asrial growled at hearing that hated nickname, but inwardly she was grateful another fighter had turned up (and thankful Ranma wasn't in his werecat form. Her reaction to his pheromones the last time had been more than enough thank you!).

Peachbody barked allowed in amusement, "More enemies more fun! Even if your trigger happy compatriot can stand against this ship's own defenses, none of you can truly think you stand against my genetically perfected guard boy do you? It is to laugh!"

Ranma's gaze which had been amused darkened noticeably. He strode forward, cracking his knuckles as a cold light began to emanate from him. "Genetically modified huh, so what you're saying is you fucking cheated and so did he. God damn, I am tired of meeting you posers who think that they can cheat or manipulate their way to being better fighters without putting in the blood and time."

Peachbody snorted. "Oh really, and what are you going to do about it?"

Ranma sprang forward, burying his fist into Benji's guts before the guard boy could move. The impact of fist on stomach was loud in the pyramid, and Benji's body shot backward from the force of the blow. Ranma stood there, glowing in the power of his own ki. "I'm going to show you what a real master of the art can do."

Benji jumped up and ran forward, meeting Ranma halfway, aiming for a haymaker like the one that laid Ryan out. Ranma dodged almost negligently, sending back a dozen amaguriken speed punches to Benji's face. Blood spurted as the guard boys nose broke but he kept on coming, trying to tag Ranma with another series of jabs and back hand slaps.

Ranma ducked dodged and then grabbed Benji's outstretched arms, flipping himself under and mule kicking Benji in the stomach like a jackhammer at least fifty times in a second, as hard as he could.

Benji's feet left the ground as his breath exploded out of him. Below him, Ranma had dropped to the ground, and concentrating for barely a second his hands glowing like a star with ki. With a shout of 'Moko ha Reiku!," a sliver of golden light shot out from his hands with all the impetus of a cannon shell and impacted Benji's chest with all the power of one. Unlike Daishi, Benji was made of strong enough stuff not to die immediately, but he still shot up and through the ceiling, disappearing into the dark of the level above. Ranma smirked. "I'll leave doggy here to you guys. The cheater's mine." With that Ranma jumped up and after Benji.

Peachbody gulped and swiftly threw some of his monster capsules on the ground. As they erupted with two ogres appearing, he backed away moving slowly over to his time machine only to find his way blocked by a smirking Brianna, who had just finished the last of the robo-mummies, holding her side with one hand and huge hand gun in the other.

Suddenly alarms blared "warning temporal danger detected, temporal danger detected!" Peachbody looked up from where he had been rooting desperately around to find some more of his biosynthetic monsters and paled at what the view screen showed him. Mita was on the screen, a leash to lead around a small black Labrador. The doctor gasped in horror as the words veterinary hospital became discernible above the door Mito was entering.. "Is that my…he exclaimed, paling visibly.

Brianna chuckled. "I like Mita, she's evil. And you, doggy Doc are done." Peachbody desperately threw two of his biosynthetic monsters capsules out her. They were empty but Brianna had no way of knowing this and stepped back to get more room to use her guns. This let Peachbody race off in an attempt to get to his time machine.

But before he could get to it, the ceiling above the time machine shattered and down came Ranma and Benji. The two slammed like a comet into the time machine crushing and destroying it utterly under the weight of Benji's body. Ranma slipped away from the collapsing machine shaking his head "Heh oops? Mia can build another one of those things right?"

Dr. Peachbody, stared aghast as Brianna came up behind him. "Do you know what you've done! My future, the future, we can never be, nooo, nooooo," he yowled as he began to feel his and his body disappear, the paradox of his existence now that his father had been neutered catching up to him.

"Wait," Ranma yelled. "I've wanted to say this ever since I heard about you!" He raised a hand and smacked Peachbody's already disappearing nose. "Bag dog, heel!" as Peachbody disappeared with the last snarling howl of agony at both the joke and his own descoporiation the others all looked at Ranma in shock. "What, none of you ever wanted to say that to him? I thought it fit the situation and him to a tee." Everyone began to laugh and he grinned at them, raising both hand to make v-signs in the air.

**End chapter**

* * *

Whoo, that was a beast to write. Well, as usual tell me what you all think. Next chapter will have more of the Tendo sisters and some more of Jade and Sheila.


	14. Chapter 13 Building, Business Deals and

I don't own Ranma or GD, though if any of the Digger sisters was on sale I would sell my soul to date her.

Bad news guys, my laptop died on me, and I lost much of my notes. Not all of them but it will cut into my writing speed on this story and WW and DvC, I still have a few full chapters already written for CS just waiting final checks. I'm going to first concentrate on my next chapter of Warrior's Way, see if I can get it out on Sunday as planned, then DvC, want to have it out by Thursday, so for those it will be business as usual, but don't be surprised if I can't put out my next chapter of this story until next Sunday at the earliest. Oh and the poll is still open, and will be until the chapter where the crew leaves for Aebra. I wanted to get all the Jade stuff done in one chapter, but I realized I couldn't short change either the comedic scenes or the serious ones like that, so I split the chapter in two.

* * *

**Chapter 13 Building, business deals and downtime**

The day after the doggie doo-doo as Ranma called the incident with Dr. Peachbody, Kasumi looked up frowning from preparing the midday meal when she heard raised voices coming from up upstairs.

She looked at Ranma with her head cocked on one side and he nodded. "go on, you gotta go play peacemaker again. I'll watch the food."

She smiled at him "and no taste testing?"

Ranma sighed in a put upon manner, "No nibbles" he said, then kissed her on the cheek. "Go on. That sounds like Nabiki and Gina for some reason." She nodded and moved away.

Not a minute later Brianna came down, sniffing hungrily at the food. She had spent most of the morning working on her second generation peebos, and food sounded lovely right now. She smirked as she saw Ranma standing at the stove preparing something. She moved up behind him silently then glomped onto his back, pressing her breasts into his back, and twisting his head around to capture his lips in a surprise kiss.

Ranma had heard her coming of course, though the nookie assault took him by surprise. He responded almost immediately however, pulling Brianna to him with his hands on her rear, fondling and gripping hard. She was just about to move her hands from his back down toward his front when Ranma pulled away. "This ain't something we should do out in the open," he said, gasping for air.

Brianna pouted "you do it in the mornings all the time with Kasumi?" She said it almost accusingly. None of the others could really say much about it but he did seem to prefer to be with Kasumi in the mornings than with either her or her or Nabiki at any other time of the day.

Ranma shut shook his head. "It's not that, it's just how would Brittany feel about it if she walked in on you and I making out when Strype ain't here and is in danger. Pr how about Gina when her boyfriend isn't here. I don't mind us, you know," he blushed a little, "stepping things up as you said the night before last, but I don't want to make anyone else feel jealous or depressed."

Briand sighed and moved away from him. "You know you are sometimes too good for your own good Ranma. You know what my sisters yelling about upstairs?"

Ranma shook his head, "no clue, you might want to go up and tell them though that lunch is about ready."

As Brianna went upstairs to see with all the shouting was about Brittany came in from outside. She looked at Ranma gratefully. "Thanks. It's hard enough being without my muffin without someone else rubbing it in that they still have their significant over around. It really brings home the fact of what mom and dad went through when she had that curse on her."

Ranma shrugged uncomfortably. "You're welcome. And don't worry about Strype, it'll be what, another week and a half or so before the spaceship is ready? And then we'll be able to catch up with him quickly. Trust the eggheads, they seem to know what they're doing. But what's this about your mom? What curse? I thought I was the only one of the cursed around here."

Britney giggled little. "And such a cute curse too" she teased. "But no, my mom had a curse that sent her to Jade and made her unable to come back except for one day a year. It started when…."

* * *

Kasumi came upon Gina and Nabiki arguing in Gina's room. Gina was sitting by the computer while Nabiki stood in the doorway with a very full binder shaking some papers at her with her free hand.

"What seems to be the trouble you two?" Kasumi asked, moving around Nabiki so that she could stand between the two arguers.

Nabiki took 5 seconds to count to ten and let out her breath slowly. "I've been spending the last couple of days writing up a preliminary plan for a little startup venture. I looked it up, and while rare, traffic between Jade and Earth is legal so long as no technology is brought through from Earth to Jade. I want to take advantage of the resources in Jade plus our own technology. We manufacture small items here, Ice cream, certain candies, stuff like that, that they can't make there to the Jaden's for their currency, which is primarily gold coins and jewels. Those things can be sold here at a much higher profit. The only problem that I found was power, the power to open a portal to Jade takes as much as the monthly budget of the entire house plus everything inside it. However, I solved that problem by figuring out some patents that we could sell to us to the military and to several hospitals in the area."

"And I don't sell my tech!" Gina said firmly. "I'm not going to have anyone else building hurt bots or unmanned drones of the ability of mine, no way!"

"I'm sorry" said Kasumi softly "How did we go from the regeneration tubes to hurt bots."

Gina waved a hand irritably. "That's not the point, the point is that if the government has any idea of the technology that I can build, they'll come in and take it all away from us. They'll call it a threat to national security or something and take it away to do who knows what with it. Haven't you to seen Iron Man Two? I'm not going to fight Congress to keep control of my own lab. Adventurers like me are allowed are leeway so long as nothing is built in mass production. Something like the re generation troops could be used to help people yes, but it would be a door that the government could use to force their way in and take the rest of my tech. And after me, they may go after the other adventurers out there with technology. I'm not going to be a party to that!"

"Unless" Nabiki, said slowly, emphasizing each word in turn and keeping her temper under control by the thinnest of margins. "We. Make. a. deal. With. them. Like I said."

"And you think they'll honor it?" Gina said sarcastically. "Please."

"No" Nabiki said bluntly "I don't. But you never let me finish. The deal is the carrot, blackmail is the stick."

Kasumi sighed. "Nabiki I though you were going to stop doing that."

"Oh it's nothing bad sis" Nabiki replied "it turns out that some of the major financiers of a few of the Beltway bandit companies that supply the military with a lot of their toys have some shady backgrounds, and a few senators too. If that comes to light it would be bad for everyone involved. Especially" she said looking sternly at Gina "as I think one of them might have been behind that attack on your taxes recently, that would make any attack on you seem as if that one had government backing thus the government starting a feud with a single individual or company for no reason. Something, that since we aren't selling weapons or showcasing said in any way, we haven't given them, unlike Stark in that movie you mentioned. We also have some capital with certain people in the government, and they can help us as well." Finding the blackmail material had almost been child's play to Nabiki, once she figured out her way around computers and the internet. It was almost sickening how some of the money trails had been so easy to follow, once she and one of the hurtbots hacked around a little at least…

Brianna walked up at this point saying "Hey guys, Ranma says lunch is ready."

Gina didn't speak throughout the entire meal. It was obvious she was thinking hard. When she pooped the last bite of her glorious sandwich into her mouth she said "Send me the figures and I'll get back to you. But can you tell me off the top of your head how much money are we talking about making?"

Nabiki smirked. "At first not a lot, but as word of mouth grows we can expect a healthy return from our investment, which won't be much. I'd expect that within a month we'll be making money hand over fist, enough to pay off both our debt to Penny and for a few of Brittany's shopping sprees. You won't have to fund your expeditions from what you find anymore either."

Jean out twitched at that. That was one of the things that she didn't like about her profession. More and more often, she thought of herself as having become a glorified tomb raider, like she who must not be named. "Again, send me your figures. I'll look them over tonight get back to you tomorrow morning. Okay?"

"Good" Nabiki said then turned to the others. "Any of you feel like going on a trip to Jade for a few days?" The others all answered in the affirmative, none of them having enough of a tech background or patience and to really help out with building the starship that Penny and Gina had devised together. That was what construction bots were for after all.

* * *

It hadn't even taken an hour looking at the figures Nabiki prepared to convince Gina to give her the go ahead. While Gina would control the manufacture for a few years of the regeneration tubes, that alone would pay their monthly bills, and pay off Penny. With what Nabiki was estimating she could make through trading with Jade, they could fund Gina's projects and archeological expeditions. It wasn't so much the gold, but the gems that would pay for it, some of the gems they used on a daily basis for the simplest items had no real equal on Earth. Hell blood rubies, something that hundreds fought over and died every year in Africa, were used for small change in Jade!

In trade, Nabiki would stay with foodstuffs to start with, as well as small medicines, such as the pills and tampons that Sheila had liked so much. She was planning to open a small café there to sell the goods at first in Seer's hamlet, then when word got around would sell in bulk to other cities of Jade, and hire people to sell them. Kasumi in fact had volunteered to man the restaurant, citing a desire to see the city Ranma spoke of, and the desire to do something outside the house. Cooking and cleaning were fine when people appreciated you but even then there were more things to do. Once she had proven she could balance the books and haggle, Nabiki had simply grinned and hugged her sister, happy that they were going to do this together. So the very next morning the Tendo sisters stood with several cases of documents, examples of their wares, and Brianna, who was always up for an adventure as this might turn out to be (well, that and she had finished work on her peebos and her work on the starship's weapons).

Brit and Ranma were the last to arrive, the were-cheetah having changed her mind about going, and Ranma not having taken her no for an answer. "Damn-it Ranma I said I don't want to go! And will you stopping pulling on my tail!"

Brianna and the Tendo's looked up and were amused to see Ranma pulling Brittany down the hallway towards lab 1 by her tail, even as she dug into the metal floor with her claws. "Hell no, all yer gonna do is either mope in yer room until Gina and Penny are set to go, or yer gonna try and help and get under their feet which'd be worse. I've heard the horror stories about you and tools Brit!"

Brianna nodded, coming forward and grabbing her larger sister's arm, pulling her around and not incidentally letting Ranma let go of her tail without the werecat zooming off. "Come on Brit, you know you would totally do that, you need to get away from your worries for a bit. Have some fun, hunt some monsters, hit some monsters, fight some bandits, that kind of thing."

Brit sighed and Brianna stopped looking at her. "it's not that I don't want to go guys id like to go and see Jade and Sheila again its just… well you remember how Garr and the other reacted to me when they saw me the last time. I really don't want to have to deal with all that, and especially Garr right now." Brittany was talking about the fact that she was the last living werecheetah, her tribe having stayed behind on Earth when the others migrated, and been subsequently wiped out by a sneak attack orchestrated by the leader of the werewolf tribe, who had later been challenged and defeated by Jenna, his daughter. He had died a little while ago in one of the Digger's many adventures.

Brianna nodded sympathetically. I know sis, but I really think you need to blow of some steam. You hardly got to do anything during the whole Peachbody thing, well, except for getting blown up and all." Brit winced, remembering she hated getting blown up, even if it wasn't fatal it still hurt like a bitch!

"won't the ring scare keep guys off anyway?" Ranma asked.

"Some guys take seeing a wedding ring as a challenge Ranma," Nabiki drawled. "There are others who would here about her story about Strype leaving and try to give her a shoulder to cry on and take advantage of her that way. And I'm guessing this Garr guy is a an ex, or a suitor of some kind."

Brit nodded, looking glum. "He's a werejaguar, and one of mom's students from her time in Jade. She used to tell him stories about me, so he thinks he came to love me and well, he's come on pretty strong the last few times he saw me. And he's part of the Edge Guard unit stationed in Seer's hamlet, which is where the portal discharges."

"Hmm, where have I, oh Garr, that's Sheila's brother right?" Then what Nabiki said percolated into his brain. "Wait, there are people who see the visible sign of long term commitment and want to fuck it up? And people who would take advantage of someone grieving? That's so damn wrong." This statement was rewarded by Kasumi, Nabiki and Brianna all kissing him on his cheeks. "Huh, what was that for?"

Kasumi smiled at him. "Never change Ranma."

Ranma shrugged, putting it under the female thing heading in his brain and moved on. "Anyway, if anyone bothers ya just smash 'em Brit, or let me and Bri-chan handle it. But she's right, ya need ta get out and do stuff, take yer mind off the idio-I mean Strype." Strype's good first impression and subsequent friendship had faded quite a bit when he decided to go off in a rush into danger without telling his girlfriend. More importantly to Ranma he had ignored the resources of Gina and her sisters (and Ranma damn it!) all of whom were used to life and death situations and could have helped his people out in a lot of ways. That way he could have helped his people and not broken Brit's heart by leaving like he had with a just a simple message that sounded more like a farewell than anything else.

Brit nodded, carefully not noticing Ranma's slip. "Alright, but if anyone comes on to me I'm going to gouge their eyes out!" Ranma grinned, giving her a thumb up and Brianna smirked, nodding happily. Nabiki and Kasumi merely smiled and grabbed their things. That sorted out Brianna turned to punch in the buttons to activate the portal, and when it appeared, she led the way through.

* * *

Sheila stood on the roof of the Edge Guard barracks, waiting with Gaja for someone from Gina's home to come through the portal the scientist had made. A message had come through earlier via Dr. Diggers saying that a few associates were coming through, and that one of them had a business deal to talk to about to the city council. Sheila just hoped that Ranma came too. She had been missing her newest friend, though some of the dreams she had been having of both his male and female form had left her very confused.

The portal appeared not with the suddenness of magic but a deep thrum filing the air, and then a small speck appeared growing rapidly. Once it was full size it stabilized, appearing like a circular doorway to another place, only the shimmering of power at the edges showing it wasn't a real door to Sheila's eyes. Well, that and the fact it was hanging in the air. And the view threw into the other side, showing a place with strange lights and metal box things with other things on them. Okay so maybe it wasn't like a regular door at all. And maybe Sheila was trying to distract herself from her anxiety about seeing Ranma again...

Brianna came through first and she grinned at her shorter friend. "Sheila, hey girl!" She came forward and hugged her friend, which Sheila returned, despite a flash of irritation at the other girl's height and bust in her normal body. Sheila had a birth defect, which let her werejaguar body short and shirmpy looking but with a monstrous amount of regeneration ability, while her human form showed her real age and had a lot of strength. She was really sensitive about it, but she knew it and tried to control it.

Behind Brianna Brit came out followed by the Tendo sisters and Ranma as a group. Ranma grinned happily at seeing his Jaden friend "Hey Sheila, how you been?"

Sheila smiled back at him, happier than she wanted to show to see him again. "H-hey Ranma, I've been good. Been pretty busy following up on the information we were able to get out of those slavers you and I captured."

Ranma nodded, "That's great, getting more of those scumbags out of… er… forests I guess, since we ran into them in the forest, I was gonna say streets." As He had been at the amount of violence his neko-side had showed during that fight, but after he had sifted through his memories and seen what those boats had been carrying his unhappiness had disappeared. "Anyway, this is Kasumi and Nabiki, I told ya about them in some of my stories, and well, ya already know Brit and Brianna."

The Tendo sisters came forward to shake hands with Sheila and Kasumi smiled. "Ranma was right, you are very striking. I love the spots on your face and hair." Nabiki merely smirked at her, looking from her to Ranma and winking slyly which Sheila made certain not to notice.

Gaja coughed gently, interrupting the youngster's rounds of introductions. "Um, I believe that one of you wanted to discuss some business? I was able to talk to one of the council law scribes, and arranged an appointment this afternoon. Sheila will show you to where you can buy lodging for the next few days, I understand you wanted to stay for at least five days?"

Nabiki nodded, turning from her nonverbal tweaking of Sheila, who Nabiki knew one way or the other was going to be joining them at some point. "Yes, I wanted to discuss my idea with your law scribes, make certain its legal, I think it is but I want to make certain. Kasumi and the others will be looking around for a place to set up a small restaurant, while I do that. Oh and after that Ranma Brianna and Brit are probably going out to look for trouble. Just warning you."

Gaja smiled. "I'm certain the city can handle it, they aren't the first group of adventurers here, and the forests around us are still largely unexplored to the east and south."

Sheila smiled. "Hey, maybe we can go out and find some monsters I hear there's a rumor that a pack of ogre bandits just moved into the area." Ranma grinned and nodded at that idea while Brianna made to check her weapons, but stopped herself at the last moment, as they were mostly obvious examples of technology, the one that wasn't a crossbow that looked normal she carried openly (the trick with it was in the arrows!). Even Brit looked a little interested in going out and exploring. "Well anyway let me show you around." Nabiki kissed Ranma languidly on the lips, just enough to cause a frown on her sisters face for the public affection before she turned, sent a last wink toward Sheila and then followed Gaja one way, while the others went inside with Sheila. She grabbed her weapon from where it was stored, she had learned her lesson last time thank you very much, and led the way outside into the hustle and bustle of the city.

Kasumi fell in love with Seer's Hamlet almost immediately. The diverse beings she saw, the happiness she saw in most faces, the energy and life all called out to her, as well as the love for the city she felt radiating from nearly everyone who lived here in her very bones. "Oh my…" she breathed. "I think I'm going to love it here." The others looked at her nearly ecstatic face, wondering what she was talking about, but they all shrugged and Sheila began to lead the way down the street.

* * *

About an hour later, Ranma had just about enough. As they walked down the street every time they passed a werecat he or she would stop and stare at Brit. The female stares came and went, but the guys would keep staring until Brit was out of sight, and he could see that Brit was getting a little twitchy. Brianna too was gaining a lot of stares and she too was looking twitchy, though in her case it was less a flight thing, then a reach for her gun and start blasting thing. Ranma decided to do something to draw some attention away from them. "Hey Brianna, did you bring that anti-pheromone spray that Gina made?"

Brianna nodded, distractedly. _Did that barbarian that passed us just try to grab my butt?_ Gina had created the air fresh spray (and yes, the base portion of the spray was from an air freshener brand) after Brit reacted to Ranma's werecat form one too many times. "Yeah, I do, why?"

Can I have it?" Brianna nodded, reaching into her weapons space and pulling out the spray bottle even as she looked down the street at the bearded barbarian who was now laughing with someone else. She couldn't hear what he was saying but the grabby motion of his hands was clear enough. _You, asshole, are going to be introduced to my gun collection if I see you again._

Ranma took the spray bottle and without further warning transformed into his werecat form. Before any of the girls could react however he had already sprayed himself with the bottle, deadening his pheromones.

Brianna was brought out of her murderous daze by this act, and pouted slightly. She liked how he smelled damn it! "What are you doing Ranma?"

"Giving the idiots something else ta stare at beside you two. I can tell ya ain't enjoyin' the attention." Brianna hugged Ranma for this thoughtful gesture, while Brit simply smiled appreciatively. It worked too. As exotic as Brit and Brianna were, Ranma was even more so, which caused Sheila to look at him anew, seeing in his unique form the equal of her own issues with her forms.

He was as tall as a werelion, but built on the sleek svelte lines of a werepanther. He had long almost mobile ears sticking straight up from his head, something no werecat had. His coloration, white fur with red highlights and a black mane was also entirely unique. His rippling muscles, though not as beefed up as a werelion drew appreciative glances from every female of every species they passed, while the men either backed off seeing this muscular werecat or simply stared at him rather than the girls. Brianna asked "Are you sure you're okay with all the attention?

Ranma smirked. "Yeah, it's cool, I'm used ta people looking at me from my time in Nerima, besides I'm a master at feeling negative intent, and it looks as if only one group has negative intentions." Brianna and the others looked at him questionably, but he walked on whistling cheerily. This trip was looking like a better idea every second.

* * *

Indeed, one group was watching from the top of a building two streets over, and was wondering what to make of the odd group. G'nolga, dwarven weaponsmater, was standing next to her comrade in arms, Kruuk, a wart ogre, looking through her spy glass at the odd group walking around with one of the Edge Guard. "What in the world is that werecat? I've never seen someone like that, and I've travelled from one side of Jade to the other."

Kruuk answered in his own language and one of her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "An ice mage, are you sure?" Kruuk nodded and G'nolga looked back through the spy glass at the group from Earth. She watched, as Kasumi stopped to bend over and sniff at some flowers at a stall, exchanging smiling comments with the old woman who ran it. An elf male walked behind her between her and Brianna and went to pinch her butt. G'nolga could barely make out the hand from here but the trajectory was easy enough to guess. Yet suddenly his foot caught in a drainpipe and he fell forward. She continued to watch as another elf, presumably a comrade of the first attempted the same maneuver by coming around another stall, but it's awning suddenly gave way, dumping some of last night rainwater on him. Kasumi and Ranma helped the trader fix his awning and Kasumi then continued on her way unmolested. G'nolga leaned back, her face respectful, and showing a little awe as well. "A hurutkasit… a human hurutkasit, amazing."

Hruuk looked at her and rumbled out a question. "Oh, sorry, forgot you can't understand dwarven Hruuk, it means, the word translates as hearthmistress, but the meaning is so much more. A true hurutkasit has somehow connected to the soul of a place, through love or sacrifice, and that soul will protect her any way it can, the ground will give way under their attackers, the chairs and furniture will somehow attack them, the lights will fail for them or burst into fire when they touch them. They are literally untouchable in their territory, there are stories of one hurut turning back an entire war band from a single mine." It takes decades of devotion to a single place, a city or a house or a mine it doesn't matter, for a dwarf to become a hurut, yet that young human girl is already one, astonishing."

Behind them the ninja hanzo appeared "You want to know something more amazing, that group just arrived here from Earth not three hours ago."

G'nolga paled visibly. "She has become a hurutkasit to the city in that short a time?!" Then the rest of what Hanzo grabbed her attention "Earth, you mean they're…"

Hanzo nodded, "Brianna and Brittany Diggers and friends, here to open some kind of business."

G'nolga smiled, and it wasn't a very nice smile, "How interesting. Julia, I think I've found a way to get to fight me. We'll go after the werecats first. Get close enough to hear their plans, then report back to us." Hanzo nodded and disappeared in a flash of smoke.

* * *

Nabiki stood calmly in front of the law scribe, who peered at her intently. "You realize that there are laws that negate any contact between Jade and Earth Ms Tendo? Why in the world would you think you would get approval for this idea?"

"Actually," Nabiki answered coolly, not at all awed by the odd little frogman that was trying to stare her down, "There isn't any law like that. The law that you are thinking was actually repealed about five hundred years ago. The laws that pertain to my company would be in under section C, subsection 21 pertaining to goods and services that have an otherworldly origin. As long as the goods are not mechanical or technological in their construction, appearance or working, any merchandise that has come from Earth realm may be allowed into any city of Jade providing the tradesman can pay tax 527F, which is a small opening fee, and a 15 percent tax on all transactions. As I am going to be selling food and medicine, there is nothing in the goods I will be peddling that fall afoul of that law, and I am fully prepared to pay the tax when it is due at the end of the fiscal quarter."

The frogman glared at her then grumpily got up and turned to check the scrolls behind him that she had cited. Nabiki waited silently, letting none of her thoughts show on her face. _And none of you know what a monopoly is do you, or a supply/demand based economy! Heh, within a month, I'll be making money hand over fist, within two I'll be one of the biggest businesses in the city, and if you try to halt the inflow of my product then, you'll have a riot on your hands._

The frogman came back scowling slightly. "Well Ms, you seem to have cited the laws correctly, but it is still unusual to have a business that is based off crossing between the plane. We will be watching you Ms Tendo, very closely." He took out a stamp and smashed it down onto her papers, making a mark shaped like a shield to signify her business proposal was lawful. The shield was bisected by a sword and staff, and in one upper corner there was a claw and in the opposite a bow.

Nabiki didn't respond, merely taking the proffered scroll. Nevertheless as she turned away the frogman felt a chill go up his spine.

* * *

While Nabiki was meeting with the law scribe (well more like waiting in line to meet him, the actual meeting hadn't taken long at all) Kasumi had found a perfect place for the café they planned to be the start of their business. It was set near the edge of the city, on a corner and was the site of a closed restaurant that was up for sale cheep. It also had a apartment on the second floor that came with it, which was spacious enough for all the Earthers to stay there for a few days. Not permanently, it was too small for that to be comfortable, but for a few days it would be interior of the restaurant was dirty, of course, it had been closed for about six months, but the walls were solid, all the tables were still there, and the kitchen was still workable.

While Kasumi and Ranma began to clean the place up, Sheila discussed the latest problems facing the Edge Guard to Brittany and Brianna. Brianna had offered to help clean up but Kasumi had gently told her she didn't have to, while Ranma told her that her idea of cleaning routinely bad a bigger mess than the original. Brittany hadn't even tried to volunteer. She knew she had as little idea of cleaning as she did using tools.

"The main problem, Sheila said, "Is that for some reason all manner of lawlessness has picked up recently around here. Bandits, thieves, escaped prisoners, slavers. The worst problem, or at least the oddest, is that there seems to be a group of kidnappers going around targeting mages. They've only been operating for a few days, but they've already taken several prominent mages from the area, and we have no leads on who could be behind it. If it was just one kind of mage disappearing then we could figure out what they were after at least, but it just seems as if they're grabbing the most powerful mages they can find. And that's the other problem, of course, mages aren't exactly helpless after all, so whoever is doing this is either more powerful than they are magically, or simply more dangerous. That means it might be a group of specialists, or a weaponmaster…

"Would one of the Ten really be involved in something like this? Brianna asked. "I can't see anyone like Grammy or mom involved in anything like that!"

"All the weaponsmasters are different" Sheila explained sadly, "Besides, the Ten are only chosen from the strongest fighters alive, that doesn't mean anything about their ethics or morality. _It should_ she thought sourly_ but it doesn't_. "Only the arms master has an image and ceremonial duties to uphold. And really there are a few that have the talent to be but don't have the title for one reason or another. Most of the Ten wouldn't you be involved in something like this you're right, but a few of the ones that haven't yet won that title would. Or it could be a group of specialists like I said, we're thinking it's is group of specialists just because we haven't heard anything about any of the Ten or the other most powerful fighters being in the area. Seer's Hamlet is sort of on the frontier here, but it isn't like it's a complete country town. Most people would recognize one of the Ten by sight, and even the best of the runner ups are easy to spot." Brittany and Brianna thought about it, but with the no tech law, neither could figure out a way to help.

Ranma came over wiping his hands off on an apron that had been among the items Kasumi had brought with her. "Well that's about all we can do for now. Kasumi and I have already made a list of things we'll need to buy to get this place up and running again, we'll go out and buy it all early tomorrow.

"Should we go get Nabiki now?" Brittany asked.

Everyone nodded stopping in to the grab Kasumi from the kitchen where she had been puttering around humming happily to herself before they went to get Nabiki. They had actually timed it pretty well as Nabiki had just come out of her meeting with the law scribe when she spotted them waiting for her. She walked over with a small smile on her face and waved the document's triumphantly. "We're in business everybody."

Kasumi clapped her hands in delight "Oh, excellent Nabiki. And we found this perfect spot to set up the café, we've begun cleaning it and tomorrow we can go out and start shopping for supplies. Right now I would like to go round and ample some of the food and ingredients they have here." The plan was to mix normal, fresh made meals with ice cream and other snacks and advertise it as a new taste sensation until word began to spread about their delicacies like ice cream, as well as their other snacks. When that happened they would begin selling just those through the café rather than as part of the meals sold there.

To do that, Kasumi would of course be in charge of cooking, though once they began to bring in more customers they would probably have to hire other cooks to help out, along with a waitress, which Nabiki would start to advertise for after the café was ready to open. With his job as bodyguard to Gina and the others Ranma wouldn't be able to be a full-time employee, and it wasn't like they could bring robots through to do the chores for them.

Sheila led the way back toward the food market, but they were stopped halfway by a shout coming from the intersection they had just passed. "Sheila, wait up!"

Sheila turned and groaned aloud when she saw the rest of the Edge Guard coming towards them. She had hoped to not need to have Garr around Brittany, or Tirga be around any of the girls, not until she had warned them all about him anyway. "This could be bad." She said to herself. She nudged Brianna as her friends came towards them. "Brianna, how would Ranma react if someone flirted with you or with one of the Tendo's?"

Brianna shrugged, "as long as it was subtle I don't think he'd react at all or even notice. He's kind of unobservant about things like that, but if they get cheeky he'll probably break their arms or something. Well he would if we couldn't sort it out ourselves for some reason. Why?"

"Oh, crap, I never told you about Tirga did I?" Sheila muttered. Already she could see Tirga looking over the Tendo sisters, and already his mouth was open while behind him Onoli looked at Ranma speculatively, having heard about the fact that he had a were-form, but not having really thought it would be as unique as it looked. Thropan was also looking at him with a sardonic smirk on his face, wondering why he looked like a werepanther mixed with a werelion and then mated to a housecat. Garr however was looking straight at Brittany who was studiously avoiding looking back at him, making certain to do nothing at all that the love struck jaguar could take as permission to flirt. She really wasn't in the mood do deal with him and his infatuation.

Before any of her friends could say anything Sheila began the introductions. "Hey guys," s these are my friends from Earth. Well, you already know the Diggers, and these are the Tendo sisters, Kasumi and Nabiki. This is Ranma, he's not a born werecat, his form is the result of some kind of magical accident." She then leaned toward them, "and Tirga if you hit on any of them I swear I will kapowee you to the moon! The same goes for you bro," she said out of the side of her mouth. Thanks to jaguar ears being the most sensitive of any race on Jade, she knew he would hear her, even if no one else did. This was proven when he stiffened and looked at her a little angrily.

Onoli came forward, hand held out for a handshake. "Sheila told me about you Ranma, the werelion enclave near here also sent word, they were ecstatic at getting their cubs back. You did very good work out there. I don't suppose you'd like a job as part of the Edge Guard?" he said half jokingly asked, seriously. At the moment they needed all the help they could get. There were only six of them counting Gaja, they couldn't be everywhere at once and the problems kept coming, ranging from regular banditry to this recent mage kidnapping.

Tirga ignored Sheila's warning and sidled up to Kasumi, thinking she would be the easiest target as she seemed to be some sort of homemaker. The eyes of the other human girl seemed to warn him off for some reason, and Brianna was already talking to Thropan while idly fingering her crossbow. "So," he said slowly, "has Sheila shown you all the sights, I could take you out tonight and show you around if you'd like? I'm sure we could have a lot of fun."

Kasumi smiled lightly but didn't seem at all interested or even acknowledge that he was trying to flirt with her. "Oh my no, Sheila has been quite helpful. I've already seen most of what I've wanted to, and as we're going to be here a few days Sheila-chan can show around again whenever she's free. I wouldn't want to impose on you."

Tirga continued even in the face of this lack of reaction. "Oh, it's no trouble, I'm always willing to go out of my well it way to help beautiful ladies."

At this Ranma looked over from his conversation with Onoli and snorted. "What are you using that kind of ling some kind of Playboy or something? I thought pretty boy syndrome would only be among humans, well and elves I guess."

The edge guard laughed but Tirga ignored them still, concentrating on Kasumi. Something about her just screamed at his senses, that she was an innocent, an apple just waiting to be plucked. It was only when Sheila came up behind him and rapped him sharply over the head with her sword Ice Fang that he desisted. "Come on, you idiot, we were heading over to the market to buy some food for dinner, and I'm not going to let you get in the way of me trying Kasumi's food. Everyone has been praising it the entire day." Kasumi blushed happily as Nabiki and Ranma put their arms around her and the two Digger sisters nodded emphatically.

Tirga rubbed his head, grumbling about short irritating people who stuck their noses in when they were wanted. Kasumi however looked at her gratefully and walked over to stand by Brittany to help ward off Garr. Despite his sisters warning Garr had been sort of circling around trying to get a word with Brittany alone, but as they walked she made a point to keep at least two other people between them at all times. Finally he decided to give up for now, after all they were going to be in the area for the next few days he would have time to see her out then.

* * *

Kasumi's early evening dinner was a massive hit with everyone though Tirga didn't like the fact that he was set at one end of the table with all the girls the other. The rest of the edge guard merely smirked at him save Garr who was also a little too far away from the target of his desire. "That was delicious Ms Tendo," Thropan said enthusiastically. "I've never had fish that flaky and savory."

Kasumi laughed as the other werecats joined in on the praise of the main dish. "You all just like me for my fish" she teased.

The others protested this, but before Tirga could take advantage of the opening she had given him, Ranma smirked, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Ya know that ain't true Kas-chan, we like the whole package not just one thing about ya." Kasumi giggled quietly as he once more fell for her teasing need for reassurance and nuzzled his shoulder innocently as Nabiki smirked at her from the other side of the tale, a glass raised in salute to that magnificent bit of innocent manipulation. She then nudged Ranma and whispered something in his ear. After a moment he nodded.

As they were cleaning up Garr made a determined effort to speak to Brittany, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Ranma stood behind him still in his werecat form, not having bothered to change since the anti-pheromone spray was still working. Once he started to see signs in the girls that it wasn't, he'd transform back into his normal human body. Gina had wanted him to see how long it would last after all. "Can I talk to you for a sec bud?"

Garr cocked his head a little wondering what the other martial artist wanted to say. Ranma led them off to a corner and said "I'm gonna be blunt about this dude. Brittany is in a bad way right now, Strype her fiancé went off alone on some adventure without even checking in with her in person, and she's been eaten up inside about it with worry ever since. She doesn't need some guy, trying to win her over, flirt with her off or offer her shoulder to cry on, no matter how innocent ya might want ta think yer intentions are. So stop trying to get close to her, just talk to her like a friend like everyone else has been. Looking at her like you have been doing though, ya gotta stop. Ya can see she's tense because of it, well Nabiki did and she pointed it out ta me, so I'm just warning you ta lay off okay?"

Garr twitched. He had seen the ring on Brittany's finger, but hadn't wanted to believe it, and then was a little appalled by the fact that he felt his spirits rising when he heard that Strype had left her behind, then he blanched at what he had been trying to do, taking advantage of a woman who wasn't in a proper emotional state. "All right" he said softly, then chuckled a little "I guess I was making a bit of an ass of myself wasn't I?"

"Not a problem dude," Ranma said, chuckling "as long as you admit to it and don't continue it's all good."

Garr nodded and held out his hand and the other werecat grabbed it and shook it. "Nice to meet another dedicated martial artist. My sister says you're pretty good, if there's time in the next few days you want to spar at some point?"

Ranma grinned at him, "Sure. I've seen Julia in action in some spars, so fighting one of her former students would be great."

While this conversation was going on Brianna and Brittany were talking to Onli and agreed to take a patrol around the city and surrounding area that night. Onoli, Tirga, Sheila and Garr would be one team, while Thropan would join the Earth natives to form another. Thropan volunteered before Sheila could say she could do it, having a lot of questions he wanted to ask Brianna about science and Earth.

About fifteen minutes later the Edge Guard left, with Sheila leading them away, her hand firmly on Tirga's ear as she dragged him down the road after he had tried one more time to flirt with Kasumi. "Honestly Tirga, you're like a cat in heat, can't you keep it in your damn pants?!"

"God what is with you?" he exclaimed finally, shaking loose. Who I flirt with is none or your business, unless…" he looked down at her smirking, "Are you jealous?"

Sheila however simply smirked back and shook your head, answering simply. "No, you had your chance, hell you had dozens of chances but you couldn't stop jumping from one bed to another Tirga. Forgive me for not waiting until you decided to change your bad habits." All of the others looked at her in surprise, each of them having realized in their own way that she had a bit of a crush on the weretiger for a while.

Tirga himself however would feel bad about it later, but at the moment he was more incensed out having been cock-blocked for the entirety of the meal. "So, what's it to you if I flirt with Kasumi?"

Sheila smirked at him "because she's with Ranma," she said bluntly.

Tirga paused in place, one foot raised in the air as they continued to walk back to their barracks, stopping all the others as well. "Wait, I thought he was going out with Brianna?"

Sheila smirk widened, "he is, he's going out with both of them and Nabiki."

All of them stared at her. "And they're all right with that?" asked Thropan.

Sheila shrugged. "As far as I can tell they're happy with it, he doesn't play favorites, all of them came to love him before going out with him, they care for each other, and they're all happy together."

"Fuck me," Tirga muttered under his breath, he has achieved the male dream." Deep within him a kernel of jealousy appeared.

"And it's because he doesn't think like that, Sheila said snarkily "that he attracted them and why they are willing to share to be with him while none of them would touch you with a ten foot pole."

Thropan and Onoli began to laugh at the face Tirga was making and the group started to move forward again down the street. Gar asked, "So he's some kind of womanizer?"

Sheila shook his head her head. "Nope, just the opposite actually, according to Nabiki he actually has to be hit over the head to notice a girl's interested in him." He certainly hadn't noticed her own attraction to him just yet, which was good as she didn't really know where her own feelings were. She liked him, Ranma was just fun to be around and great company, he was strong, honorable, and among the most handsome men she had ever seen. But she'd only known him for a few days now, she wasn't exactly prepared to swear her eternal devotion to him or anything, even if her odd reaction to his female form was confusing her a lot. Their friendship had however allowed her to move on from her dangerously distracting crush on Tirga, and maybe she could find other fish in the sea.

They were about to enter the barracks when they were stopped again, this time from a voice coming from the road in front of them. "Onoli!"

Walking toward them was a female werelion, and Sheila realized with a start that she recognized her from the salver incident. "Allia, right? How are you?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw the normally incredibly composed and calm Onoli gulp under his breath and edge away. _Oh this is going to be good._

Allia nodded at Sheila's question, smiling down at her. Allia was built along the same lines as Sheila's female form, tall, almost as tall as Onoli, with a largish chest, and broad powerful muscles, with clean and sleek yellow fur and hair. Her eyes were dark brown, and she looked altogether like a fine example of a werecat woman. "I'm fine, I was sent here with a few others to liaise with the ranger corps and the Edge Guard for transfer of the prisoners we took. Did the information we pass on help any?"

Tirga couldn't stop himself and he stepped forward, all suave confidence. "Oh it did indeed lady fair, perhaps we could discuss it over dinner, ansd I could tell you a few stories about the bandits that information led us to."

Allia was far more direct than the relatively innocent and kind Kasumi. She merely smirked down at him, topping him by a good three inches and said, "Don't bother little man, I'd break you in half. Besides you're not my type." With that she ignored his sputtering and turned to Onoli, her lips curving in a sensual smile. "Hey Onoli, aren't you going to say hi to your old childhood friend?" Thropan, Gar and Sheila all looked at eachother and stifled their grins. This was going to be really good! Tirga though simply looked appalled at being ignored in favor of stick in the mud Onoli of all people.

Onoli flushed slightly, but came forward, his hand outstretched to shake hands but Allia ignored it, coming in close and hugging the slightly taller (by barely an inch) werelion, causing a furious blush to appear on his face. "Oh it's so good to see you Onoli, I haven't seen you in person since you ran off to join that monastery in the dead of night. And you never stop by Morridin's Pride when you all are on patrol it's enough to make a girl think you were avoiding her."

As she released him Onoli coughed uncomfortably. "Er, well its not like I've been avoiding you or anything its just as field commander of the Edge Guard I have duties that keep me here and in the other cities really, so free time is er, nonexistent, really, but um" he went on looking at her and trying desperately to avoid noticing how good his old friend had grown up, "You, um look well in any case."

"Hmm, I think you need to work on your communication skills oh master monk" she quipped, and he blushed, "But yes, I'm fine, I was third in command of the Pride's militia, and dealt with most of the problems that cropped up between us and our neighbors and that made me a natural choice to be sent here to talk to the local government reps about the prisoners. I've got a meeting set up with some judge or other and a ranger rep. the day after tomorrow, so I thought I'd take the time to look up my old friend here." She looped an arm around Onoli's waist, purposefully ignoring the blush that sprouted on his face from the continued close contact. "Well, that and see if I could get Sheila here to tell me that story she promised to tell me about the human girl that acted like a wild cat and her odd attacks."

Sheila nodded. "I'll do one better, I'll introduce you to Ranma and he can tell you." At the male pronoun Allia looked at her askance and Sheila giggled. "Trust me, that is a whole other story. Just know that his female form is from a curse, it's not his original body.

Allia nodded, then turned a wicked gaze to Onoli, "So, are you free to show me around tonight? I just got into town and I have no idea where anything is."

The rest of the Edge guard, even Tirga smirked at their leader, who coughed, backing away slightly. "Er, I'm sorry Allia, maybe tomorrow one of us can give you a tour, right now I need to talk to Gaja about our patrol schedule, and then we all go on duty, so I'll uh, see you later." With that he turned and retreated, and yes it was a retreat, even he knew it, into the barracks.

For a moment the group was silent then Gar and Thropan burst into laughter, and Sheila followed them giggling. Tirga merely shook his head, and after a moment followed their leader inside. When she recovered Sheila looked up at Allia quizzically "So do you really think he ran off to the monastery to escape from you?"

Allia nodded. "That's the theory of everyone in the Pride, not just me. I realized at a very young age how good a man Onoli would become, and I made it my mission in life to grab him for myself. When that didn't work I made myself into someone who would interest him to come after me instead. Since that hasn't worked its back to the other way round. Your story and the need to get someone to take those prisoners off our hands was just the excuse I needed to get away from the Pride and come after him. Trust me, his bachelor days are numbered, it's just a matter of time." Sheila and the others broke down laughing again at this announcement. Once they again recovered, Allia asked if they knew a place she could stay for the night, and Sheila invited the other woman to stay with her in her quarters in the barracks, which Allia readily agreed to, after all it would let her remain close to her target.

As he was talking to Gaja, Onoli wondered why he had a sudden urge to run away, and an even stranger urge to shout 'Ranma this is all your fault!'… Later when he actually did so in the privacy of his own room after finding out Allia was going to be staying in the barracks with Sheila, he found it quite therapeutic.

* * *

That night Thropan came back to the café to pick up Brittany and the others before heading out of the city in a night patrol. He immediately began to question Brianna about her scientific knowledge and she answered readily enough, though she was also preparing her crossbow at the same time. They were barely a mile from the city however, (since all of them were werecats, they were able to cover the ground quickly), when Ranma stopped and looked around smirking a little. "All right," he said, "you can come out now. You've been following us all day, might as well get this over with."

A wart covered ogre came out from behind one tree, while a female dwarf dressed in leather armor came out from behind another. A third person, a ninja by his clothes appeared on a tree above them. "I'm impressed" G'nolga said sardonically. "There aren't many people that have the ability to know when they're being watched, especially not by people of our skill."

At the sight of G'nolga Thropan and Sheila both backed up bringing out their weapons swiftly. "Weaponsmaster G'nolga," Thropan exclaimed, with not a little worry in his voice. "What are you doing here, we've seen no reports that you were in the area."

G'nolga glared at him a little. "I don't answer to you boy, nor to the Edge Guard. And as for what I'm doing the area I'm just making some money. And perhaps settling an old debt," at this she switched her glare across to Brittany and Brianna. "I don't suppose you would come along quietly? A pair of hostages would be just the ticket to get your mother back here so I can beat her face in!"

Ranma grinned at her crouching down low into a combat stance. The way she moved even with that heavy low-slung body told him she was very skilled, and the last time he had fought a weaponsmaster had been one of the best spars he had ever had. This looked to be an excellent end to a good day. "Now where's the fun in that?" he said jokingly then his eyes hardened. "To get to either of them you'll have to go through my dead body first, and I gotta tell you I take a lot of killing." Brianna and Brittany both smiled and scowled at the sentiment, they weren't wall flowers that needed protecting, though it was nice he cared so much. They both readied themselves, but Ranma whispered quickly, "You two take out the big guy and leave her to me, Thropan take on the ninja, finish and then come help me if we're still fighting, don't say anything just do it." Both girls wanted to protest, but nodded.

Across from them, G'nolga shrugged, "that could be arranged werecat," and without any warning or sign in her body language she shot forward swinging her heavy staff around in an arc they would have crushed Ranma's head had he not anticipated it and ducked underneath it to drive a hammer thrust into her nose. G'nolga moved with the below dodging most of it and only receiving a glancing hit to her cheek, before trying to backhand Ranma who again dodged, though this time by the slimmest of margins. With that the battle was on.

* * *

As soon as G'nolga had moved the ogre had rumbled forward, intent on closing in with the two digger sisters and knocking them out, but they scattered to either side, with Brianna drawing her crossbow and letting fly. Some inner danger sense made Kruuk dodge behind a rock, and the arrow missed him but impacted on a tree, and suddenly it exploded like it was hit by a fireball spell. As Kruuk began to rethink this plan The ninja Hanzo immediately lept down, but was met by a flying spear kick from Thropan, "let's take this somewhere else," he said calmly, even as he used his hands to grab a branch and flip himself forward to bring his nunchunks down on the ninjas raised sword. The ninja was able to hold him off then kick him in the chest to send him down to the ground, following up swiftly as the two moved away from the other combatants. Hanzo drove in smashing into Thropan, but the werepanther used one of his nunchuck while he brought the other over to smack into his side. The ninja blocked it with another sword, but he wasn't prepared for Thropan's headbutt, which sent him reeling back into a tree. Before he could recover his senses, Thropan's brought his nunchuck up to slam into his hands, making him drop his swords and then brought the end his holding up into his head. Hanzo fell senseless to the ground,

* * *

Brittany ran into hit the wart ogre's side where he was crouched behind some rocks as Brianna took potshots at him with her crossbow laughing. "Come on out warty, I promise it won't hurt, much!"

Mindful of Ranma's lessons Brittany didn't stop to try and duke it out with the obviously powerful ogre. Instead, she took a hit and run approach, slashing in at high-speed and landing a blow then back out again. She underestimated his endurance and reaction time though.

Kruuk merely grunted under the wercheetah's punch as it sunk into his body, then lashed out smashing Brittany in the side of her head before she could get away. She was barely able to keep her feet but she raced away shaking her head and letting her healing factor kick in before coming back. Kruuk leaned over, grabbing a large rock and throwing it at Brianna, who dodged, firing back wildly. Kruuk grunted irritably and ducked back under cover, reaching for a large piece of the tree Brianna had blown up, chucking it at her again.

Brianna cursed as she dodged the large makeshift spear. Using only her modified crossbow and her special ammunition was really cramping her style. Firing a crossbow was just different enough to throw off her aim, and that stopped her from taking this big guy out as quickly as she had hoped. The name G'nolga worried her, she might have heard it from her mother at some point, and if the dwarf could fight her mother to a standstill, she might be more than Ranma could handle.

After two more exchanges Thropan dropped out of the trees to land beside her. "Have trouble?"

Brianna glared at the werepanther. "The big guy won't come out from behind that rock, and I can't seem to land arc my shots to hit him behind there."

Actually she had hit him with two of her tazer rounds, but Kruuk was able to shrug of the strange magical bolts easily enough. Suddenly he heard a sound from the woods beside his cover and he turned his wart covered face to look in that direction. Suddenly he was hit by a rock travelling incredibly fast, so fast it actually punctured his skin. Seeing five more coming at him he dodged, only to realize his mistake a little too late.

Brianna shouted aloud in joy "Great job sis!"She pulled the trigger and Kruuk barely had time to flinch before an explosive bolt slammed into his chest, the resultant explosion killing him instantly.

* * *

The fight between G'nolga and Ranma escalated quickly as the others started their own separate battles, the two a classic example of speed versus strength. Ranma grunted as a blow from G'nolga landed and he gritted his teeth, even as he felt his rib cage buckle. _Why do I always run into people who are strong enough to break through my iron body technique. _Still, he retaliated with both arms at Katchu Tenshin Amiguriken speeds, hammering G'nolga's midsection before jumping away from a staff piece that had just disconnected from the rest of the staff at the end. "Sneaky," he said gulping in air and wincing.

G'nolga shook her head, brushing a bit of blood from her lips and wincing a little as her ribs creaked. That speed technique was a killer, and something she had never seen before. Alone a blow wasn't much from this kid, but she had just been struck something like 700 times in under a second! She had never even heard of speed

* * *

like that! "All right kid" she muttered, "the gloves come off now. You're obviously too good to take prisoner so I'm just going to put you down." That said she came forward again spinning her segmented staff expertly. Ranma grimaced, but came forward swiftly.

Ranma dodged the first two blows but couldn't dodge snap kick that caught him in the thigh buckling his leg under him. He rolled forward however dodging the follow-up blow from the staff, and lashed out, catching the end of the staff and shattering it with an Amigurken punch right behind the metal end.

G'nolga growled angrily, "Do you know how much that cost mission, Dwarven steel and craftsmanship isn't cheap!" She stopped talking as Ranma catapulted from the ground straight into a kick that caught her on the side of the head even though she had moved to dodge it, landing on a tree limb and disappearing from her sight for a moment.

G'nolga sighed, she didn't know how long they had been dancing around one other but the few times they had landed blows had been hadn't been telling enough, this fight was far from over. It almost looked as if this strange werecat was her equal, but that couldn't be, he was so young! "I must be getting rusty" She muttered. Despite her mutterings she was enjoying this fight more than any she had in a long while.

"Or" a not so helpful voice stated "you're just being outclassed!" Ranma shot back toward her but can all build swiftly dodged again, catching Ranma's arm in a brace between her two remaining staff pieces then twisting she threw him into a tree following up swiftly with a power shot to his chest that shattered the tree behind him and threw him away through the woods. She smirked. "You were saying brat?"

Ranma however was swiftly back in the fight throwing a piece of splintered wood from the tree, which G'nolga almost negligently blocked, but right behind it came Ranma himself, who grabbed her arms twisted and slammed both of his feet into her chest repeatedly. G'nolga gasped, trying to break his grip, and was forced to let go of the staff to do it. But Ranma moved with her grip and jumped up into the air as she tried again to hit him with a power shot using her arm as a springboard. His arms came around until they were pointing straight at her face and he said "Moko Takabashi!" A cerulean sphere of energy shot from his hands impacting the side of the dwarf's head, sending her careening to the ground.

Other than the force of the impact however she was able to shake off the below and got to her feet swiftly "A ki attack," She said, no surprise in her voice. "I have seen those before boy, you're going to have to do better than that." Ranma grimaced. His shots just weren't doing enough damage, he had at least three broken ribs from the shots of the dwarf's that had connected, and it wasn't like he wanted to bring out his deadly techniques against this dwarf, and beside they might not work anyway. Whatever else she was, she was damn good.

Before the fight restarted however, the bloodied unconscious body of the ninja landed next to them followed swiftly by the steaming corpse of the ogre being dragged into the wrecked clearing by Brittany.

Brianna and Thropan jumped down from the tree behind Ranma to join him on the ground and Brittany moved to stand between them. "You sure you want to take all four of us on by yourself G'nolga? Even you aren't that good," asked Thropan, hefting his weapon meaningfully.

G'nolga scoffed at them then glared across at Ranma. "This isn't over boy. I'll get you and your precious little's Digger sisters too."

Ranma shrugged. "Ya want to fight me come look me up anytime, but if you're going to go after the my friends again," and here his eyes hardened noticeably then were going to have a real problem, and I won't the holding back."

G'nolga scowled deep in her throat, but knew that he was telling the truth. Both of them had been holding back in this fight, her because she had at first wanted to take them alive, and him because he just didn't want to kill her for some reason. "I'll see you in the tournament in two months then. If you're not in it. All hunt you down and then these two." Ranma nodded and G'nolga walked away through the woods carrying Hanzo.

Ranma turned to the others. "What's this tournament and how can I enter?" he said, grinning, "if she's the type of fighter all meet in it. I can't wait!"

Brianna began to laugh and Thropan chuckled alongside her, while Brittany simply shook her head. "You combat junky." She muttered, but she was smiling when she did it.

* * *

End chapter.

Hope every one liked the fight, short but a prelude to other things. Oh and the anti-pheromone spray is a tool I'll be using for gags quite a few times in the future. Tell me what you think of Allia, it's always bothered me that Onoli isn't as developed a character in GD as the other Edge Guard members, and i hope to address that issue


	15. Chapter 14 Change Can Be Both Good and

I don't own the Diggers, I'd love to be that good at drawing but I can't, nor do I own Ranma. If I did Kasumi would have been the main fiance rather than Akane the kitchen destroyer.

I apologize for the lateness of this update, the parts with the Amazons bothered me a lot, and I don't know if i have it right just yet

More action in Jade and then on to Aebra. Oh and someone made a comment a few chapters back of there not being any real romance between the girls and Ranma, so this chapter is for you, reviewer whose name I can't bother to look up. But it is Ranma style romance, so you just know shit is going to happen.

* * *

**Chapter 14 Change can be both good and bad  
**

Shampoo raised her arm in victory as her opponent fell to the ground senseless and the crowd of Amazons in the stands cheered. She then reached down and helped her opponent out of the ring, causing the crowd to cheer even harder at this show of sportsmanship. Shampoo smiled as she set Ble-ach to a seat near the healer as the other woman shook her head groggily. She was really enjoying her time here, all the fights and being around her fellow Amazon sisters was great, far more simple than her life in Japan had been, and somehow cleaner.

Then too, none of the warriors from her village could match her, and the fights against them had been pretty boring, even when she had to face all of them at once to reclaim her position as village champion. None of them were strong enough or skilled enough to match her after her time in Nerima, after all, she was the only woman who was able to honestly say she was among the top five fighters in the area.

But these Jaden Amazons were much better on a one on one basis than her fellow Earth Amazons. For one thing they didn't forget that they had legs and would use far more kicks in their style than her own sisters did, and for another, they were far stronger physically as well though nowhere near as fast, apparently they had gone towards physical strength rather than speed like her own she was tagged by one of those punches she knew it, almost like fighting the others from Nerima. Their Elders were also far more hands on in the training, something she had loved from the beginning. The training here would definitely help her against anyone else who was chasing Ranma. She frowned momentarily, that was the first time she had thought of Ranma since they had arrived here. After a moment she shrugged, it wasn't as if they wouldn't go after him eventually, until then she could spend time with her sisters and train to get better.

* * *

In the audience where she was sitting with two Jaden Elders Col-ogne cackled. "As you can see," she said proudly "my granddaughter is among the best of her generation. Has there been any word about when we can set off to find her wayward husband?"

The Elder, who unlike herself and the other Elders of Earth was a statuesque woman who only showed her age in the wrinkles on her face and her silver hair, shook her head. "We are still waiting for our representative of the Council to arrive. She had something to tell us, but it takes time to get from Seer's Hamlet to here, and she will need to prepare the papers necessary for a husband hunting team. Be patient," she said softly, making certain to show know reaction at Col-ogne's look of contempt at the idea of needing papers, "we'll be setting out soon enough. You know that no male can ever escape our Amazon trackers, few even want to after all." she said this to needle Col-ogne a little. After all, there had never been any example of any male in the history of Jade, who was not already married at least, turning down the invitation to mate with an Amazon.

Col-ogne huffed in irritation at the remark and said "excuse me, but I must go collect my winnings."

The Elder who hadn't spoken yet turned to the other and murmured, "We've both had time with all of them now, what do you think of them?"

The first one, whose name was Ec-chi Stormthrust snorted. "They're being awfully cagey about how they've gone about chasing this Ranma fellow before, I don't particularly like that, but it's within their rights. This Shampoo girl though is one heck of a find, isn't she Hen-tai? Not as physically strong as I would like her to be, but she's getting there and it's obvious she's made friends with some of our own youngsters. Her speed and ki are incredible for one so young, though I would assume that is a trait of their clan as much as it is down to her skill. She'll fit in well here, the Elders not so much. The other youngsters are having a difficult time realizing how far behind they are in comparison to our warriors in terms of skill, but they fit in well at least. But what do you think of the other elder they brought along, Rin-ser? If I don't know better..."

Hen-tai nodded thoughtfully. "She is pursuing her own agenda or someone else's. She's always watching Col-ogne, her or Shampoo. And she has made no bones of the fact that she is separate from the rest of the group. Almost as if she's here to observe rather than take part in the chase, and that makes me wary as hell, though she is rather closed mouth about why."

"I wonder why Do-jin wanted to speak with us in person. It's not often that she will come back here herself rather than simply pass on a message via mage line."

"I don't know" Ec-chi said slowly, "but the fact that her message telling her us to expect her said that it had something to do with our erstwhile Earth on sisters has me a little worried." The other Elder nodded agreement and they both went back to watching the contests occurring in the center of the town.

* * *

Kasumi answered the door of the café with a smile of welcome, "hello Sheila, how are you this morning?"

Sheila grinned at her, there was just something about Kasumi that made you like her. "I'm fine Kasumi, Brianna asked me to come over and show her where the hot springs were, do you want to come with us?"

Kasumi nodded happily. "That'll be nice, let me get Nabiki and we'll all go together. Starting off the day with a good soak sounds like an excellent idea." Despite not being a morning person Nabiki did indeed want to go with them, but Brittany bowed out just wanting to crash for the morning. Brianna, despite not wanting to wake up as early as this, decided to get up anyway. She wanted to figure out a way to somehow camouflage her guns, relying on just her crossbow hadn't been fun.

Ranma however said he'd be by later. His wounds from the previous evening had nearly healed, but he didn't want to do it all at the same time as the girls, figuring it would just be asking for trouble. His werecat healing ability wasn't anywhere near a regular werecats, probably because it had been created from a different source than their own bodies, but on the other hand he didn't have any of their weaknesses, like silver or magic.

Brianna pouted at this, but still wanted to go.

The Four girls made their way toward the hot springs that were part of the Edge Guard barracks and giggled at the sight of Alia chasing after Onoli as he power walked out of the building. She paused for a moment to wink at them and then continued on. Onoli studiously tried to of ignore her, but couldn't quite manage it when she latched onto his arm as they walked down the streets.

As they were changing to get into the hot springs Sheila filled the others in on what had occurred with Allia late last night, and Brianna related in person the tale of how her, Thropan and the others had run into the dwarf. Sheila had already heard of it from the werepanther of course, but hearing it from Brianna's perspective was much better. Thropan after all couldn't tell her anything much except his own fight with the ninja. The knowledge that one of the ten was involved in this maje kidnapping team was sobering.

The girls entered the hot springs and the Earthers paused, gaping. While it was all natural, the trees and the springs themselves were amazingly beautiful. A place like this in the human world would have to charge in the thousands for people to enter, but here was apparently one of many in the city and none of them except for the one public bath charged at all.

"Wow," Kasumi breathed, "I'm loving this city more and more."

Nabiki nodded agreement and the three of them got into the water. "So," Nabiki smirked over at Sheila "is this place coed, or what? Because right now, I'm thinking of sneaking Ranma in here, a personal masseuse would just complete the image."

Sheila blushed but laughed while Brianna and Kasumi of all people paused momentarily as that image hit them. "We assign different times of the day for the guys and me. I'm the only girl in the Edge Guard stationed in Seer's hamlet so I get a fair bit of time in here."

"Lucky bitch," Nabiki muttered, sliding deeper into the water with a moan of pleasure.

"Oh," Tirga's drawling voice came from behind Sheila, and she turned and almost glared but her glare stopped at seeing the weretiger standing there with only a towel over his shoulders getting up out of the water. "Sorry, Sheila, I didn't realize you had booked the springs this morning. I'll leave now, I don't want to make any of you uncomfortable." he hid his smirk as Kasumi looked away and Nabiki looked at him with frank appraisal. "Phase 1 complete" he said to himself.

Sheila was about to explode in anger at his being there and seeing them all naked when Brianna said blandly, "Meh I've seen better."

This deflated Tirga to trip over his own feet and he turned to stare at her, spluttering incoherently while Sheila and the others turned to look at Brianna in surprise. "Ranma" she said simply at their looks, "I've seen him in the shower a few times. He's not quite as big in his normal human form, but its a bit thicker and who knows how big it is in his werecat form."

Kasumi blushed while Nabiki and Sheila both looked very thoughtful for a few moments, lost in their own fantasies. Brianna turned back to see the weretiger still where he had fallen to the ground. "Oh, you're still here? Go and take your little toy someplace else please" and she made a shooing motion. Tirga left with his tail between his legs, cursing under his breath and Brianna turned back to the others.

She looked quizzically at Kasumi, who still sported a blush. "Not going to say anything Kasumi? I thought you'd be angry about the propriety of me seeing Ranma like that."

Kasumi shook her head smiling gently. "Not at all Brianna, that was in the privacy of your home, so propriety was served. Or are you wondering why I don't object to you having gone farther with Ranma than I have?"

Brianna nodded slightly, moving through the water to sit next to the eldest Tendo sister. "Yeah, I guess that's part of it, I don't want you or Nabiki to feel, like pressured or let out or anything, but I want to push the envelope a bit. I need me some nookie damn it!"

Kasumi giggled. "Brianna, everyone moves at different paces, and I for one am fine with you moving faster than us. For myself, spending time with Ranma and kissing is as far as I want to go for now. Maybe in a few weeks or maybe months I will want to go further, but I want to take it slowly, savoring very day as it comes."

Nabiki smirked, coming out of her daydream. "Well, I for one wouldn't mind going a little faster, but I just haven't had enough time lately. Once we get the shop up and running and we hire some helpers, I'll have more time, but until then I'll take what I can get." Her smirk widened and she licked her lips, leaning forward conspiratorially. "My favorite fantasy for a long time was losing my virginity on a monstrous pile of yen. Something to look forward too, ne?"

Brianna gaped for a moment then broke out into laughter, which finally broke Sheila out of her stupor while Kasumi simply shook her head at her sister's strange fetish. The girls stayed in the bath for an hour, sharing stories and laughing together while elsewhere, more serious discussions were going on.

* * *

"What." The old, dirty looking man said flatly, pushing several elf girls off his lap and standing to stare down at G'nolga. "What do you mean you're refusing to work for me anymore?"

G'nolga smirked. "It's come to my attention recently that I've been lax in my training, and with the Armsmaster tournament coming up in a month, I need to get back in shape quickly. As such I won't have any time to waste on your little schemes."

Her former employer glared at her from behind his coke-bottle glasses. "What could have motivated you so much, after all, aren't you already one of the best of the Ten? Surely you're already skilled enough to win the tournament?"

G'nolga snorted. "You can never be too skilled. Though I will admit running into that young werecat last night was a motivator. If someone as young as he looked could be skilled enough to stand up to me as he did I definitely need to step up my game." _I won't let you beat me again Julia. That werecat showed me where I need to improve, speed and precision, I need to search outside my races specialty to add to my skills and once I have you won't stand a chance!_

The man, who was known as Tirant the super villain back on Earth, scowled even as he sat back down. "Fine, but you'll return the money I gave" he couldn't even finish his sentence before a bag of gold coins hit him in the chest with enough power to force him back into his seat. He scowled, his mask slipping at this strange turn of fortune. "Just get out already, you and that damn ninja! But don't come crawling back to me when your plans fail and you still can't beat Julia Diggers in a fair fight!"

G'nolga snarled at the low blow, but left without saying anything further.

Tirant removed his glasses so he could rub eyes irritably. "We'll have to find someone else to do our work for us, we still need thirteen more mages for my plan to succeed."

Around him the elf girls of his 'harem' disappeared, and in their place stood a pink-haired young woman wearing small glasses perched on her nose, a small frown on her face as she looked at her boyfriend. "Well, I could make some more copies of myself, I'm certain I could create a few new arrays that would be up to the job." Inside her a chorus of voices began to yammer at one another, some agreeing, a few disagreeing, and many wanting to go back to cuddling with their boyfriend. This was Array's power, and her curse as well, the ability to replicate her body an infinite number of times, but for every different body she created, she gained a new personality.

Tirant shook his head, "No, we need to find someone who can act as a cut out for us, being a visible target was the problem I faced on Earth with all of my schemes. That and your positions as sheriff and chief judge in Seer's Hamlet are too important for us to risk. We'll just need to postpone things for now until we find someone. Someone skilled but gullible who we can manipulate to do our bidding, without asking any difficult questions."

Inwardly Array sighed in relief, she really didn't want to get more involved than necessary in the illegal activities of her boyfriend, not now that she had made something, heck lots of somethings for herself. "Well okay, I'll send out a few of my personalities into the city and the surrounding territory. But you know this would be a lot simpler if you told me what you wanted the mages for in the first place."

Tirant turned smiling at his lover. "In due time my dear after all I want it to be a surprise, for you and for everyone else."

Array smiled seductively, finally giving in to the dozens of voices that wanted some 'cuddling' and stalked toward him, "Well since we have some time to kill, I have a great idea on how we can spend it…"

Tirant sighed inwardly but pulled Array close, leaning down to capture her lips. _I super villain's work is never done._

* * *

Brittany grinned at Ranma as he finished cleaning up their breakfast. "You'll make someone a good little wife someday Ranma."

"Oh hardy-har-har Brit. Laugh it up and I'll see if I can convince Kas-chan not to cook you any more tuna."

The werecheetah actually visibly paled at the threat for a moment, but shot back quickly. "Ha, she likes me too much for you to ever convince her of that." Before he could respond she swiftly changed the subject wary of any threat to her precious tuna. "So what are your plans for the day? And how long did the other girls say they would be?"

"About an hour or two I think, and I was actually thinking of, er, well, kind of seeing if I could take each of them out on, um dates today and tomorrow." He blushed as he said this, still unused to relationships and dating and stuff.

Brit looked at him thoughtfully, and for a second she was a little jealous of the others after all, their beau hadn't run off leaving only a 'dear Jane' letter behind! Honestly the more time she was away from Strype, the more she was oscillating between kissing him or punching him when they at last went after him. _Run off on me will you, well we'll see about that!_ She fumed, but when she spoke her voice was normal. "Well, I think that's a great idea, but you need to plan ahead what you're going to do on these dates of yours, one size will definitely not fit all y'know."

Ranma grinned at her. "That'd be true for any girl wouldn't it, yer all different and special in yer own ways." He went on not noticing Brits smile of surprise and his words. "But yeah I want ta case the town for a bit, see if I can figure out different stuff ta do with each of them. Brianna will probably want ta head out inta the woods on a little adventure, and Kasumi would like a homemade meal and a night together here, but Nabiki is the one I'm having trouble with, i don't know anything in Jade that she'd like ta do, there ain't a movie theater or fancy restaurants or anything."

Brit once more felt a surge of jealousy, but shoved it down. "Well I want to go out and explore too, so what say we head out in a bit and just see what we can see, and I'll help you find something Nabiki would like to do."

"thanks Brit, that'll be a big help. Heh, we can also look for a souvenir for Gina and the others back home."

Brit nodded, and the two left the kitchen, splitting up as Birt went up to the apartment and Ranma continued to clean the café. By she was ready to go (an hour and a bit, Brit wanted to dress down once in her life to avoid attention, and she wasn't used to it at all) he had finished cleaning the entire café, and besides plates and other supplies the place was ready for business.

When they returned and saw the progress Ranma had made, Kasumi smiled and gave him a kiss on the check. "Thank you Ranma, it looks like you did a great job finishing up. Now all we need is to buy some plates and other things, and we'll be able to open the café." Nabiki nodded, already seeing this place as the beginning of her booming business empire.

"Thanks Kas-chan, um I was um, wondering if you all would, um like to go on dates while we're in Jade?"

All three girls smiled and nodded. "That would be fine Ranma, more than fine really, that will be great." Nabiki said, speaking for all three. "But I'll wait for a bit for my date, I want to get this place up and some advertising out before I take time off."

Kasumi and Brianna looked at one another, then Kasumi smiled, and nodded. Brianna turned to Ranma and smirked. "Well I guess that means you and I can have our date tonight Ranma. I hope you've thought of something fun to do?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah I got a few ideas for both you and Kasumi-chan, no offense Nabs but figuring out what you'd like to do in Jade is a lto harder than it is at home."

Nabiki smirked at him, pulling him in and giving him a lingering kiss on the lips before pulling away. "I'm sure you'll think of something stud." With that she turned and walked off, swaying her hips teasingly.

Kasumi giggled at Ranma's stunned face. "Well come on" she giggled "'stud', I'll need your help carrying the restaurant supplies." Brianna laughed and when Brit at last came down, dressed in loose fitting pants and top, she, Ranma and Kasumi set out for the market, though not before Brianna got a hug from Ranma. The fact she used this to grab his ass was lost on no one, but none of them commented on it.

Once the three of them left, Brianna went upstairs, intent on fixing up her guns to look more like runic weapons, while Nabiki spent the time writing up some posters to place around town advertising their shop and their major draw, ice cream.

* * *

Brittany shook her head amused is two children, who had previously been crying, ran off from Kasumi who had just given them both tiny sweets and helped them both find their parents almost effortlessly. The parents both thanked them profusely then the trio walked on, with Ranma trudging behind the two girls carrying their purchases. "How do you do it Kasumi?" she asked as several grocers smiled and nodded at the younger woman who smiled back genially.

Kasumi cocked her head, "what do you mean?"

"That!" Britney exclaimed, pointing at the kids they were crying for their parent's mere moment ago. "Not only do they somehow gravitate to you out of a crowd of people, but out of that same crowd you somehow lead them directly to their parents, through two streets of a city you've only had a day to explore!"

Kasumi smiled "habit, I suppose. This place is so full of energy and life that it calls out to me, I just knew where their parents were as soon as soon as they told me they had been separated, I could almost feel the parents worry."

"That's our Kas-chan" Ranma said, smiling as he finished organizing their purchases so he could carry them and actually see the road at the same time, "heart as big as the world." Kasumi blushed, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

The three of them had been shopping for about two hours now, and had gathered all the supplies they would need to open the café. Brittany also found something that Nabiki and Ranma could do on their date. "After all" she had said, "both Nabiki and I are material girls and if it appeals to me it'll definitely appeal to her." The concept was simple, shopping, nothing more, nothing less. Brittany had loved browsing all the small stalls, even with the attention she still got as a werecheetah which Ranma had again tried to shield her from, and she figured Nabiki would like that and being able to haggle the prices down.

That and Ranma had found a tavern that had a dancing area out the back, and thought that maybe Nabiki would like to go dancing. Brittany agreed with this idea, and had to fight down yet another bout of jealousy, wishing Strype were there to take her dancing.

The three were on their way back to the café when they were interrupted by a shout coming out of the crowd. "Ranma!"

Ranma and the others turned to see weapons-master Karia walking towards them limping still and with her arm and chest still bandaged from the match that she had with Ranma a few days before. Ranma winced a little at the site, but raised a hand in greeting, "master Karia how are you?"

The dark elf smiled at him then nodded at the other girls. She recognized immediately that the kind, gentle looking human girl was probably one of Ranma's girls, the way they were standing close to one another and the way she smiled made it pretty obvious. The werecat girl, who strangely looked like a werecheetah rather than one of the normal varieties probably wasn't, but that was all she could tell. "I'm fine, and don't worry yourself about my injuries, we elves don't heal as quickly as humans or the other races. And as my style is that of a battlemage, all of my abilities are based off mana rather than ki, and mana isn't as good for healing yourself." Here she was actually lying a little, it was just that she was one of the 2% of magi that were completely immune to healing spells, even their own. But she didn't want Ranma to know that, the wince when he saw she was still injured made her think that he might not want to have a rematch with her if he knew how long it would take her to heal after.

Ranma shrugged, still a little uncomfortable by how battered the battle mage looked in comparison to himself. After all he had been fine after only a few hours of healing after the fight. What Ranma didn't know was that his ki healing ability was insanely fast. Of course in Nerima it had to be.

Karia ignored his discomfort and asked "so are you going to be here for long?"

Ranma shook his head. "Nah, I'm only going to be here for about a week or so. I'm helping Kasumi here" and he nodded at the pretty human girl "and her sister Nabiki setting up a business. After that were going back to Earth to, um…." He paused for a moment thinking of a way to explain space travel to a Jaden native, then shrugged. "Basically catch a ride and, well go after an idiotic friend honestly." Ranma shrugged apologetically looking at Brittany but she shrugged back not commenting one way or the other. Her muffin had been a bit of an idiot to leave her behind. After all, it wasn't as if her sisters or her were novices or anything when it came to going on adventures or saving people/civilizations His oh I can't burden you with the troubles of my people shtick' got more and more idiotic every time she listened to it every night. It didn't make her miss him any less but it did make her question his intelligence a little.

Karia smiled "Oh well I wish you luck then," while on the inside she was fuming a little. She desperately wanted a rematch, and she wanted to spend time with Ranma, but as injured as she was that wasn't going to happen for at least two weeks, nor did she actually have the time to hang out with him at the moment. She was overseeing her schools journeyman tests for the next several days. "That's too bad I wanted a rematch." She smirked suddenly, thinking of something that might appeal to someone as competitive in the art as Ranma was. "Have you given any thought to entering the Armsmaster tournament that is happening in a month?"

Ranma nodded rapidly. "Oh yeah, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I ran into another weapons-master last night, and if she and you are the type of competition I'll face in that tournament you couldn't keep me away with a load of elephants."

Karia's face blanked for a moment. She hadn't realized any other weapons masters were in the area, "Who did you fight?"

Brittany answered for him. "An old rival of my mom's actually. I'm the adopted daughter of Julia Brigand... She asked with questioning voice and Karia nodded. Recognizing the name of the Armsmaster, hell of course she would recognize the name. the two of them had been friends for quite a while. Karia nearly hit herself for not recognizing Brittany right off the bat from her mother's description when she discussed her daughters back on Earth. "her name was G'nolga, I remembered her from the stories my mom told me after I had some time to think about it."

"And you walked away! You're skilled Ranma, but not that skilled, I don't think?"

Ranma shrugged. "She looked a little rusty honestly, but you're right I wouldn't have been able to walk away if the fight continued. She was slowly taking me apart and none of my own blows mattered to her. She was barely bleeding by the time her two friends were finished off by Thropan of the Edge Guard and Brittany and her sister." Brittany nodded in agreement. Honestly looking back on it she felt that G'nolga could've fought them all anyway, if it wasn't for the fact that she was wary of Brianna's weapons.

Karia nodded thoughtfully. She wasn't aware that G'nolga was in the area, though it wasn't as if she had to check in with her. The Ten, the best weaponsmasters of Jade went where they willed and did what they wanted, though G'nolga wasn't one of her favorites. Still to be able to last even five minutes against G'nolga spoke highly of Ranma skill. "Very good, in that case I'll see you there. I myself probably won't be participating, but I am part of an exhibition match to start it off. I'll eagerly watch how far you get."

Ranma nodded and Kasumi tugged on his arm. "We should get back, I want to spend some time with these kitchen utensils and the food and Nabiki said she wanted to open the café tomorrow."

Karia frowned that shrugged. If two of the girls that Ranma was involved with opened up a shop here it was obvious that he would be around as well. That meant that she would have more time to get to know him.

After saying their farewells, the three younger people walk away, not aware that Karia stayed still for a moment watching them go, nor were the girls aware or even was she aware that another set of eyes were watching Ranma's retreating back with anger. Ranma noticed of course, but the killing intent was so tiny he couldn't figure out where it was coming from, and just put it down to the general jealousy of the passing men who saw him walking with two incredibly gorgeous women.

* * *

That night while Brittany and Nabiki went around the town putting up advertisements for the café and its new taste sensation, and consume he started to use the food to get a feel of what she could make quickly and well. Ranma took Brianna out on their date.

Most people wouldn't have called it a day, after all they first stopped and grabbed some food on the go, and then headed out of town into the wilderness beyond. Once in the wilderness they started to explore, and Ranma began to relate what little he could remember through the haze of his inner feline the trip. He had had with Sheila.

While Brianna had been hoping for some action, she was at first disappointed. The two of them didn't find any dangerous creatures, beasts, monsters or anything, but the views were incredible, and she truly loved just hiking around with Ranma exchanging stories of his childhood and the adventures she had gone on with her sisters.

Of course she didn't have any tales from her all childhood, but when she began to get a little depressed about this. Ranma snapped her out of it by the simple expedient obedient of smacking her upside the head and saying to her. "Remember what I told you when the doggy of doom went into the past? You're your own person! I don't care how you came about, how you were born, or whatever, your Brianna and that makes you fantastic!"

Brianna, sniffed a little, then smiled wetly, grabbed him and pushed him against a tree the spent several minutes kissing him senseless.

They were soon interrupted however by a voice declaiming behind them "Ranma, I challenge you!"

Brianna growled as they were forced to disengage and she turned to glare at the interloper. There stood a decent looking man with massive muscles and blond hair and a arrogant, angry expression on his face "what the hell do you want?" She growled. She wasn't looking for an adventure at this point, she was looking for some more nookie! _Though shalt not interrupt the nookie, you, you nookieblocker, so sayethBrianna!_

I Jarrod Diputshctib challenge you Ranma! Because of you I lost my apprenticeship ship to master Karia! Because of you I can no longer bask in her presence! And because of you, no other martial arts master will touch me, nor will any other battle mage!"

For a moment Ranma looked at him blankly, wiping absently at his lips, "do I know you?"

The blonde sputtered indignantly for a moment and then yelled at him. "You humiliated me in front of my master! Don't tell me you can't remember!"

Ranma shrugged. "That doesn't really narrow it down that much dude, though around here I guess it does, I think… yeah, I remember you, you're the guy who was an idiot. Man I could have killed you like fifteen times at least in the first minute of our fight. I'm sorry to say it but you sucked."

Diputshctib scowled angrily and then smirked. "Luckily I have learned from my mistakes, I'm not going to be taking you and your whore here on alone." From out of the woods around the couple came five hired toughs, all of whom looked like barbarians, making Brianna think of her Grammy for a moment, before the insult registered and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Ranma shook his head. "You didn't bring nearly enough of them, if they're supposed to be your equalizer." He glanced at Brianna who grinned and Ranma suddenly disappeared from sight, reappearing in front of one of the barbarians arm cocked back to punch. A second later that barbarian went flying while Brianna swiftly reached into her weapons space and pulled out two handguns made to look like mini crossbows with lots of runic symbols (really just doodles the Brianna had come up with last night) all over them.

With a scream of "dance for me, you barbarian bastards!" she began to fire them. Instead of regular bullets, these guns fired tiny bolts of plasma, which made them resemble magical items even more. Within seconds she had three of the barbarians dancing in place, screaming as the sorceress before them fired her strange fire weapon at their feet and legs.

Ranma reached out and slammed one of the barbarians into a tree headfirst, ducking when another barbarian swung his huge axe at him. Ranma shoulder checked him as hard as he could as fast as he could and the barbarian left the ground with a whoosh of displaced air and flew through the air away into the woods. At the same time Diputshctib came forward quickly.

Ranma, not really wanting to spend more time on him simply reached out, grabbed the thrusting arm and brought his own hand up to slam into it right behind the elbow, snapping the bone. Diputshctib clutched his broken arm, grimacing in agony and backing away, but far too slowly. Ranma simply took two quick steps forward then high kicked him in the face, knocking him out like a light.

The three barbarians that Brianna had been fighting had by this point run off through the woods, they were certainly not getting paid enough to fight a crazy and well-armed witch. "So what do you think we should do with these punks?" She asked.

Ranma shrugged "leave them, they'll wake up eventually and make their own way back to the city if they want to, if not, no skin off our backs. Besides, which we have a date to continue." Ranma was used to being interrupted when alone with a girl from his time in Nerima, and thought it was just par for the course and thus ignorable. "I have something I want to show you anyways."

He was speaking about an area that Thropan had actually suggested to him as a great spot to take a date. How the werepanther knew about it was not something Ranma was going to comment on.

The area Ranma led Brianna to was a slight hill from which a small stream ran from a underground spring, but the really amazing fact was that the stream fell into several different pools of various size before heading the rest of the way down the hill and out of sight. One of them was over some kind of heat vent and steam was curling up from it into the night, while the other two fed solely by the river looked cold and the light of several dozen small fireflies were shimmering off their surface. Brianna stopped and stared at the beauty of the place, a smile slowly widening on her face. "This is great Ranma, but I didn't bring a swimsuit?" She looked at him questioningly.

Ranma wordlessly reached into his weapons space and pulled out two towels. "I'll go behind those trees over there and you can stay here or go beyond the trees over there," he said, pointing to the other side of the hill. He began to stutter "a-after all, you said I, I should get you now used to doing uh more and…" he trailed off, blushing heavily.

Brianna grinned grabbed him and dragged him into a long kiss before turning happily away after grabbing one of towels. "Be back in a minute."

Ranma changed quickly and got into the water his towel tied around his waist. When Brianna returned he gulped and thought to himself,_ I should've brought larger towels_. Brianna didn't dress as provocatively as Brittany usually did (though she simply thought of it as dressing with style) when not adventuring, but she was built almost as voluptuously, and the towel she was barely wearing definitely showed off everything she had.

Brianna looked at his glazed blushing expression and smirked victoriously. She quickly got into the same pool as Ranma and snuggled into his side. The two were silent for a few minutes. Just taking in the splendor of the area. Then Brianna smirked at Ranma and said, "you know, this has been a fantastic evening, but I think I know one thing that could make it even better." Before Ranma could say anything Brianna leaned close and kissed him.

Ranma responded immediately dragging Brianna even closer, pressing their toweled bodies against one another. After a moment, Brianna reached between them and tore off her towel tossing it to the grass alongside the pool.

Rather than act shocked or pull away Ranma simply kept the kiss going, his hands dropping to her waist and grinding her against his lap. This went on for several minutes, then he pulled back a wicked look in his eyes and Brianna shuddered. There were times when they were making out that Ranma's inner tomcat would come out, and this looked like one of them. "Oh boy!" she exclaimed to herself. She loved it when his inner tomcat came out to play!

Ranma picked her up and set her on the side of the pool and began to nuzzle her neck and then further down before pausing looking up at her and changing into his werecat's form. Brianna looked at him quizzically, not being able to smell his pheromones as he was still wet from the water and just wondering why he had changed. He smirked as he went lower on her body kissing her navel before saying with a wicked look in his eyes, "this form makes my tongue longer."

Brianna gasped, then gasped again as he finished his journey and the thought that ran through her head was _I think I've at last created a monster. Mission successful!_

It would be several hours before the two returned to their apartment by which time Brianna, mistress of the nookie marathon, was exhausted and could barely walk straight her legs were like jelly. She hadn't even been up to returning the favor, something that she was determined to do eventually.

* * *

Col-ogne was not at all pleased to be summoned to a meeting with the Jade Elders as if she were some novice not even blooded in battle, but she hid it very well as she entered the council hall. "Good evening, ladies" she said coldly as she and her fellow Earth elder entered, then paused as she looked at who was waiting for them.

They found the two elders they had been interacting with for the past few days as well as two new women there. One of them was obviously a fellow Amazon as she stood with the other two elders, though she looked much younger. She was obviously a warrior, a sword at her side and a shaft with bows and arrows over her shoulder. Her cold gaze, however was rather off-putting.

The other woman however, who was standing alone along the wall between the supplicants position and the three Jade Amazons, was massive, there was no other way to put it. She stood at least ten feet tall, was nearly 5 feet wide in the shoulders and had massive muscles everywhere on her body, shown off by her leather armor which only covered her body and not her limbs. Not to mention the enormous broadsword on her back. The fact that her hair was steel gray did not take away from her dangerous appearance it only served to emphasize the fact that she was a very experienced warrior.

"Elder Col-ogne of Earth" said Ec-chi formally, "you have been called here on a matter of honor. As a neutral party, weaponsmaster Brunhildgarde Brigand of the Ten, elder of our allied nation the Barbarians, will oversee this meeting."

Col-ogne crossed her arms angrily at both being blindsided like this and the idea of using an outside as an arbiter. "And what matter of honor is there to discuss?"

The new woman pulled out a small golden circlet that Col-ogne knew all too well. "The matter of this and the young man who willingly gave it to me in return for, and I quote, 'not having anymore Amazon issues'. 'The worst sort of losers' he called you." She said contemptuously, "trying all manner of trickery and underhanded magic tricks, but most of all not realizing that he was a human being who had his own up in an his own thoughts! Were you trying to give us Amazons a bad name, or was it merely a side effect of your idiocy?"

Col-ogne couldn't respond, her thoughts completely derailed by the fact that Dragon's Scale was here, which meant that Ranma had been in Jade, could still be in Jade! And he had given up one of the most powerful magical items ever made without even trying to get anything out of it? The mind boggled.

Instead the female giantess spoke up. "Enough," she rumbled, "We're not here to listen to hearsay or opinions. State the facts plainly ladies. As eldest and by the laws of the Amazons as I understand them, Col-ogne will give us her side of the story first."

Col-ogne glared around at them, her plans to simply bargain for aid rather than have to explain everything about the Ranma was obviously not going to work any longer. She began to explain in cool analytical tones, hoping to come off as more professional than her interlocutor. First she emphasized the fact that Ranma had interrupted the tournament for village champion, the subsequent hunt for his female form as was necessary by their laws, and then went on to list the high points of their pursuit as facts. the fact that he kept his male body secret and used it to evade Shampoo spot of the female form. The fact that Shampoo and Ranma had fought while he was in his male form and that Shampoo had lost. The fact that Shampoo had given him the Kiss of Marriage as was proper under their laws. The fact that he had beaten off her attempts to get closer because of previous engagements made by his dishonorable father, and the fact that Col-ogne had agreed to help her great-granddaughter in the attempt to bring him back.

At this point Do-Jin almost interrupted but a look from Mrs. Diggers silenced her. One did not irritate one of the Ten, especially one who held honor as highly as the Brigands.

Then Col-ogne described the ways they had a can had to convince Ranma to come with them, never hinting at the amount of magical devices they had attempted to use on him, nor the fact that she had tried to trick him several times into marrying Shampoo for various help in his adventures.

She finished with the description of the battle where Ranma had been given the dragons tier by one of his rivals who had assumed it would kill him. She did not mention that she had not simply asked for but described the scene in such a way that made it seem as if she had assumed that Ranma had stolen it. This did not work on Brunhildgarde, and her eyes narrowed, at the prevarication, as well as the omissions she had noticed in the story.

Do-Jin looked at her coldly as she finished and Brigand nodded at her allowing her to do her rebuttal. "From the first you ascribe vindictiveness to someone who was ignorant of your laws. In terms of Ranma's male form, if someone had a female form from this Jusenkyou she would automatically be giving a chance to join the tribe under her female form. Why was this not done?"

Col-ogne blanched, and said, "Why in the world would we want that? There's no way he would have given up his male form. Any besides he would keep training his male form at the same time as his female."

"So you feared his prowess is much as you coveted his strength for the tribe." She said archly "you can't have it both ways. I have talked to Ranma and I will tell you all what he think's about Col-ogne in Shampoo and their chase. He calls you sore losers, and nothing you have said has dissuaded me from thinking the same. You kept on trying to use the stick rather than the soft touch demanding instead of helping and convincing, you said it yourself. You personally attempted to first trick him via the Phoenix Bill I believe? To keep his male form he had beat you using a secret technique of your clan or promise to marry Shampoo? Instead, he found his own way to train himself and won. Then you continued to try to trick him. Magic love potions mixed into food, magic bells meant to connect a young couple? The amount of magical devices you and your great granddaughter tried to use on him are astonishing! Why didn't you simply try to convince him that your way of life was better choice than staying in Japan in this horrible situation he found himself?" At this point she described the situation with his father, the neko-ken and the problem he had created for Ranma. By the end of this every woman from Jade wanted a new panda skin rug.

Col-ogne was silent scowling irritably while Do-Jin went on, coming to the heart of the matter as she saw it, and for Mrs. Brigand did as well. "You never tried to simply convince him because you never saw him as anything but a male had to be brought to heel. I will tell you that the young man I met would rather die than submit to anyone, he would rather die than stop training, stop getting better which you would have demanded of him."

"Nor did you ever see the laws of his nation equal to the laws of your own small clan. I am not one to think that size of a nation should matter when you consider the legitimacy of their laws, yet you never even looked at their laws, or their thoughts on honor. You never considered any of the deals his father had made as important, nor anyone else in his life as having any say! Let me tell you Col-ogne of the Earth Amazons, this is not how the real world works."

"Nor is it how we work!" Hen-tai growled angrily. "We are not going to help you hound this boy further. You can do it yourself if at all Col-ogne."

Brigands held up a hand. "ON the matter of this husband hunt, I will meet with this boy and discuss it personally, and I will also meet with this Shampoo. I will bring the two of them together and you, Elder Col-ogne will not interfere. You seem to have caused more trouble than even your great granddaughter did, what she did out of the impetuosity of youth you did out of capriciousness and self-centered arrogance. Let me tell you, if any group of Amazons had neutered the land of the barbarians and simply assumed that our laws had no value, we would have killed them all and sent their heads back to your nation. I understand they wouldn't do that kind of thing on Earth, they are too effete to respond like that, but they probably have put trade embargos on your group, and maybe other things.

The other Earth Elder nodded, indicating they had indeed done that before the group of hunters had left their village. It hadn't hurt them much at first, but there were rumblings within the Communist party of China doing the same, as the embargo had hurt them more than a bit.

Brunhildgarde continued, "I will meet with this Shampoo in a few days. Unfortunately, I can't stay here and meet her tonight. I have my own duties in my own lands to look after, and several other matters of honor I need to adjudicate in the next few days, as well as several small tournaments that are occurring now prior to the Arsmaster Tournament next month. Until I return you and your fellow Earth Amazons will remain as guests of the Jade Amazons and you will not leave their borders. Is that understood?"

Col-ogne almost glared at the other woman, but a Weaponsmaster, especially one of the Ten was not someone even she wanted to tangle with. Especially not one built like that. Col-ogne may be fast have a lot of ki and skill but she was still a frail old woman, and her body reinforcement techniques could only do so much. Six or seven blows from someone as massive as Brigand would probably kill her.

Rin-ser nodded, "I have no problems with this ruling." That caused Col-ogne to stare angrily at her but her anger was studiously ignored. "In all honesty we thought much the same about this rather stupid ongoing hunt for one male. No matter what he has done or how good his seed would be when added to the clan it is not where the amount of trouble we've had in taking. When you review the facts and meet with pros Shampoo and Ranma and you declare against this mad chase, I have the authority to declare Col-ogne outcast immediately."

Col-ogne scowled even harder, gripping her staff so hard the ki reinforced wood cracked under her grip. "You dare!"

The other elder shook her head. "You have concentrated far too much on this one chase Col-ogne; you haven't been acting as a matriarch should, looking at the big picture and addressing the** real **problems facing our tribe, like the resurgent Musk and our own lose of population as males flee or lands, the lack of farmland, the encroaching Communists! You seem to have grasped onto this hunt for Ranma as the solution to all out future problems when in reality it could not help us with more than a fifth of them."

Mrs. Brigand nodded, "I agree with you, no leader can become so embroiled with a personal vendetta like this farce. Regardless of anything else your position as matriarch is finished, you have ignored it far too long."

Col-ogne growled like a cornered animal and at that point lost her temper. Shouting she charged at Rin-ser. She was stopped however by Weaponsmaster Brigand's massive broadsword slamming into the ground in front of her. Before she could recover from the shock of seeing that massive blade appear so quickly the pommel slammed into her head. Col-ogne had been wrong, Brigand was even stronger than she looked so instead of the six or seven shots to put her down it took only one. Col-ogne fell senseless to the ground.

Brigand shook her head, that was the problem of most Amazon Elders, they had a lot of ki and skill but were almost ludicrously fragile to someone who specialized in pure strength and speed like her. "I'll take this one with me and drop her off at one of the jails made for powerful martial artists in mages. How will this Shampoo react to it though?"

Rin-ser shrugged. "She's close emotionally to her great-grandmother, but I don't think she'll care at the moment. They haven't spoken in days actually, she's been far too busy. She's been having far too much fun interacting with her new Jade sisters."

Brigand laughed, "That's always the way with it with young ones, new friends and new places always tear them away from loved ones. In this case however it can work for us."

The other four women nodded and laughed a little. Reaching down Brigand grasped the comatose form of Col-ogne and hefted her over one shoulder, making the difference in their sizes even more apparent as Col-ogne was barely larger than her shoulder. "I'll be back in a few days. Don't let these Earth youngsters do anything stupid before then."

The two Jade Elders laughed "The young are always doing stupid things, we'll just make sure that they remain on our side of the border when they do."

Brigand shook her head, "yes that's probably as much as I can hope for." She laughed again and walked out the door. And this would be the last anyone of Jade would see Col-ogne, and despite all her accomplishments, very few people would miss her.

* * *

The next day the Tendo sisters opened their café, calling it _Silver Heaven_, and for a while it seemed as if Nabiki's dreams of avarice would come to naught, as very few people stopped by in the morning. Sheila of course did along with the rest of the Edge Guard, as well as Alia who was dying to hear the story of Ranma and his cat act against the slavers. They all loved the food from Earth, especially the cereal and the ice cream. The ice cream was the hit of the day, something that every Edge Guard member couldn't get enough.

After lunch however word-of-mouth and the advertisements Brittany and Nabiki had put up the night before did their work and the café suddenly became very busy. The ice cream sold as fast as they could put it out in bowls, and the bags of sweets, gummy bears and chocolate bars (the latter of which Jade did make, but the price was insane) mainly, sold fast as well.

Thus, for about five hours that afternoon everyone from Earth, even Brit and Brianna who hadn't actually come along to help, were busy. Nabiki however alleviated things by immediately hiring Alia, who had that morning turned down a job with the Edge Guard. Onoli had offered it, hoping that Alia would take it and give Sheila another female in the group to to talk to. That was what he said anyway, what this would also do however would make Alia his subordinate and not someone he could be involved with. Unfortunately for him Alia saw right through that and promptly found a job with Nabiki.

Sheila and Tirga were the only two of the Edge Guard still there at this point, the others having returned to their posts but it was Sheila's day off and Tirga just refused to leave when he could still flirt with Kasumi whenever she came by with a plate of Earth food. So while Sheila actually joined in as a waitress like Brit taking orders, He spent his time leaning against the wall (tables were only for paying customers as Nabiki had bluntly pointed out) near the kitchen trying to talk or otherwise get close to Kasumi.

There was just something about Kasumi that drove him wild. It was like she was the perfect mix of virgin territory and married housewife. Unfortunately, he couldn't even get close to her, if Ranma wasn't nearby something else would get in his way. He would trip over his own feet, chairs would not be where he thought they were and block his way, hell he nearly stepped on a silver fork! It was impossible for him to get close and after a while even the extremely stubborn flirt Tirga had had to admit defeat.

The sweets soon ran out, leaving the group with only cereals and other main food products from Earth. The ice cream was the next to run out. By that time however Nabiki was well pleased with their little experiment. In a single day they had got gotten back all the money they have spent on supplies in Jade. And once they exchange the gold coins and rubies and other jewels back on Earth they would quadruple at the very least their profits. She estimated she could get back at least five or seven times the amount of money that they had put into it. Once they started bulk sales, that amount would increase dramatically but she would have to be careful to not dump enough gold or jewels on the market to depress their price too much. _Maybe I should only exchange half or so at this point, use the rest to buy local ingredients for Gina's matter converter._

Ranma and Kasumi however didn't particularly care that evening about sales and money. Nabiki Brianna and Brittany all moved in with Sheila at the Edge Guard barracks for the evening, leaving Kasumi and Ranma to have them apartment themselves.

Kasumi smiled happily, worn out and rather tired from the day but also ecstatic. She loved meeting new people and she loved cooking. Put those two together as well as this lovely, magnificent city and she was in heaven. Kasumi didn't realize it, but her control of wa was so well defined that she found regular cities on Earth with their mass-produced buildings and apartment in their spires of steel and the often un-caring individuals in them to be anathema. It was why she was reacting so very strongly to Seer's Hamlet and was in fact thinking of moving here full-time. After all, with the portal a trip back to the Digger's was only a few blocks away and they could get on without her cooking and cleaning, they had before she met them after all.

"Are you happy Kasumi?" Ranma asked as he put some plates down on the small table in the apartment.

Kasumi answered promptly her smile widening, "Ecstatic actually, this was much more fun than I thought. I've never really been the type to enjoy fighting or that kind of thing, but this is, it's fun." She said unable to find the words enough to put it into perspective for Ranma. "I love meeting new people, and every person that came through that door was a new person to meet, and this place, this job, this is an adventure made for me."

"I'm glad," Ranma said simply. "It seems as if, y-know, because of my job as their bodyguard, I just spent more time with Brianna and her sisters than I do with you and Nabiki, I just you know, didn't want ya feeling li-like I didn't care or anything I mean I know we spend mornings together but, but if you had a boyfriend who could spend more time with you that would be, you know it would seem as if that would be better, not that I don't care for ya or anything, it just seems sometimes that I ain't worth yer time."

Kasumi shook her head, smiling and kissing Ranma on the cheek. "Thank you for thinking of me Ranma, but I don't want another boyfriend. I want you the boy who took my boring housewife existence and opened my mind up to the wide world outside. The boy who stood by my side when I cried about Dr. Tofu leaving Nerima. The boy who became a man before my very eyes, the boy who brought me fun and adventure and to a place where I think…"she slowed for a second looking at him closely "that I could call home without any of the baggage of the old one."

Ranma grinned and relief. "I'm glad you're happy Kasumi, and as for the calling this place home I don't see a problem with that. I'd build we buy our own house of course, but the apartment is nice enough for now. I imagine Nabiki will want some kind of mansion after she makes it rich though" he said, smirking. Kasumi giggled and took a bite of the salad he had made. After a full day of cooking Ranma had refused to let Kasumi into the kitchen to cook dinner, instead he had made an antipasto salad and Okonomiaki and dango for after.

The sat quietly for a moment eating their meal before Kasumi broke the silence. "So you would be fine with me moving here full-time?" she asked hesitantly. She was almost certain that any other man would've said 'no I don't want you that far out of my sight' or be that independent or something like that. Certainly most of the men back in Nerima would've said something like that, though she hadn't met many men in America save for Mr. Diggers and Ryan, who she didn't particularly like. Oh, she also met ace but his relationship with Penny gave her a very hot and cold feel for some reason and Kasumi had made the conscious decision to stay away from it.

Ranma smiled happily at her "why would I not be fine with it? You found something you want to do with your life, just like Nabiki go for it, I'll support you whatever you want. As long as you want me in your life Kasumi I will do everything I can to make you happy, and if that may means letting you have your own business or run this café for Nabiki that's fine by me." Kasumi smiled at him gratefully and pulled him into a kiss.

Unlike most of their kisses Ranma took the initiative here darting out his time to press against her lips asking for entrance. She moaned happily and allowed it and the two made out heavily for several minutes before turning back to finish their sweet. They spent the rest of the evening surprisingly uninterrupted, making out and occasionally talking about the future and what their dream house could look like if they ever had enough money to pay for it. Both of them enjoyed themselves a lot, and eagerly looked forward to their next special time together.

Meanwhile in space the Dynasty had become aware of Strype's attempt to come to Aebra's aid and had taken steps to stop him. This came in the form of several hundred fighter craft and a large monolith that seemed to be able to create an infinite number of them. This however was a faint to cover the real threat as minutes into the battle Jan shouted "Something's breached our hull, sector two A!"

"We've been boarded," Strype said grimly. "Jan try to find out how they got through our shields, but before that call my guards, tell them to get to that sector. Tell the priestess to have a group of her acolytes meet us there. I'll meet them there in a moment."

"Be careful Strype," the purple bunny replied.

"I will," he said smiling at her concern even as he turned to leave the bridge "and tell the priestess to have her special spells ready."

* * *

"Mother," said a rather exasperated voice from the dark of the corridor marked as sector two A on the bridge of the Kryn colony ship, "I was about to let you inside the ship discreetly the hole you made will surely alert them to our presence onboard." Rioldo of the Dynasty sounded like a young man, but there was nothing visible of his face to tell his age. In fact his entire body was covered in a from fitting body suit which in turn was covered by a cloak that looked riht out of Robin Hood for some reason. His face was covered by a form fitting mask marked by lines of small digital circuitry.

The person he spoke to was covered similarly in a body suit, but instead of that being covered by a cloak Rielda, assassin of the Dynasty wore armor, barely there armor but armor and her mask wasn't quite as formfitting, with slanted eyes that covered her eyes and four large lines of circuitry above and below them. Yet when she spoke it was obvious that looks wasn't the only difference between them, her voice dripping with barely contained bloodlust in comparison to his cold analytical tones. "I care not, they cannot stop me. Now take us to this dangerous prince you spoke of, I cannot wait to dance in his blood."

* * *

Moments later it seemed as if she had gotten her wish, having taken the image of an acolyte of the Kryn religion to get close to her target. But the body at her feet suddenly began to disappear and she looked around wildly. "What the!?"

"You know," Strype said thoughtfully as the illusion of his dead body disappeared from the ground. "I was hoping to meet up with a member of the dynasty peacefully, come to an understanding, but if you want to fight I'm quite prepared for that too." Rielda didn't bother answering, simply charging forward with another straight jab, followed swiftly by a full body hammer kick, segueing swiftly into a balletic spin kick.

Strype dodged them all easily, his own agility more than a match for her dance of death. After sparring with the jack in the box Ranma, Rielda's movements were easy enough to predict. Yet he noticed that each blow that hit a wall or ceiling shattered and crumbled the area it hit, which was odd… _How could her fist punch through the wall so easily, it was made from the toughest metal my ancestors could devise, designed to withstand laser and cannon fire!_

Just as he was about to punch Rielda in the face he stopped and jumped away, putting some more space between them as he stared at her warily. "I must admit you are the ultimate assassin. Your disguise power will let you get within striking distance, but that is nothing compared to the constant kinetic disruption field you have around your body. Your constant movement must sustain and strengthen its power."

Rielda paused, shocked that her enemy had divined her abilities so easily. "But even if you know my talents it will do you little good against them!" She charged forward again, headless of any danger from so primitive a species.

"Wrong Rielda, knowing is half the battle!" Strype swiftly thrust forward with two fingers to come within a hairs breath of touching Riel's forehead. A strange sphere appeared at the end of his fingers that, when it came into contact with Riel somehow shot her backwards into the wall.

Rielda shook her head, jumping up quickly. "I don't know how you managed to do that," she growled, "but I won't let you do it again!"

Strype used his amazing agility to dodge again and dropped a small sphere in front of her as he went past. "Did I say I was giving you a choice?" Riel smacked into the sphere which once again emitted a strange power that smacked Riel backward as if she had been hit by a sledgehammer. Another one dropped behind her previous position bounced her back and forth between them. "What is that human game, pinball? Yes, how do you like being the pinball Rielda?"

Strype fought to keep the smirk of triumph off his face, he had to maintain a serious mien in front of his people, but Ranma was right. Winning was fun! "Telekinetic spheres. One of my artifacts has the power to create them. The kinetic energy of anything that comes into contact with them is instantly reversed. They seem to work exceptionally well against kinetic disruption fields like yours don't they?"

The fields ended abruptly, dropping the assassin to the floor. "I-it can't be, how is this possible? No one could defeat me!" Rielda scowled from the floor severely injured from bouncing between the strange spheres.

"That's right honey. Keep telling yourself that," Gisele the high priestess of El Dorado muttered. "So what are we going to do with her?"

Strype pondered for a moment. "She's able to escape any prison we place her in once she recovers but I think I know the way to contain her powers permanently. Then maybe she can answer some questions about the Dynasty for us."

A calm voice suddenly spoke from all around them. "That is not allowed I'm afraid, even if the lesson in humility would be good for her I cannot allow you to detain my mother."

Rielda looked around growling slightly as she tried to stand, "No Rioldo stay out of this. I have not relinquished my claim on the Aebran Prince, his blood is mine!"

The two guards turned swiftly as shadows loomed behind them. "I'm sorry mother. I will not allow this to continue, the fact you were beaten has made your claim on the life of this prince forfeit." There stood another Dynasty member and two drones, appearing as if made out of the shadows themselves.

"More intruders," a guard muttered. "Where did they come from?" He raised his war staff and him and his fellow moved forward.

"Wait," Strype ordered "They could've attacked us before we even knew they were there, but didn't. Perhaps this is the opportunity I've waited for. An opportunity to resolve our differences without battle must be seized."

"Strypjia you are very powerful" Rioldo said calmly, "but I must warn you, you and your people are doomed if you continue towards Aebra. The planet is ours, those beings living there are now our property. Turn back or you will be annihilated."

Strype shook his head firmly. "I can't do that, not as long as your family is on Aebra. You in the dynasty have no right to attack and enslave my people! Set them free and give us back our world and we will leave you in peace, so long as you cease to be a threat."

Rioldo shook his head. The temerity of the Aebran prince to consider himself equal to them, to think he could treat with his family, who had been roaming the stars when the Kryn were barely sentient tree-dwelling hunter/gatherers. "Then we must fight prince. The destiny of the dynasty of the stars will not be denied."

"We'll see about that." The dynasty guards and Strype's guards began the fight at that point, but Gisele stood back and started to incant the spell of protection. Around each Kryn in the corridor a aura of power began to pulse destroying any weapon that came in contact with it but allowing their weapons out to hit back at their enemies.

"Hurry Strype!" she shouted as she feel to her knees, "the spell of protection will only last a few seconds more!"

Strype raised his hands to his head, concentrating hard, pushing his ki into the crown on top of his head, another relic of his ancestors. "Gyphon twisted the powers of the crown to turn the Kryn of El Dorado into living statues of stone, let's see if it works as well on the likes of the Dynasty!" A wall of force came out of the crown intersecting with three of the dynasty guards and Rielda. Rioldo however had dodged it somehow and was nowhere to be seen.

One of the acolytes strode up to Rielda's now still form. "I'd say it works very well. That was easy!"

Gisele groaned as she stood up "easy you say, Tirsi my student you still have a lot to learn."

Strype held the back of his head as it began to throb lightly, using the crown took a lot out of the user. "We were prepared for them this time Kirsi, very prepared and they tried to handle us with kid gloves. They won't be as cocky nor sloppy next time. My knights, search the ship and report anything unusual. If you detect more invaders don't try to attack them by yourselves, call it in first."

"At once my Lord." The guards intoned, moving off.

"And see if you can find cells for these three statues." He yelled after them before turning to the high priestess. "Gisele thank you, your spells were invaluable."

The priestess smirked holding up a v-sign "I'm glad I could help, I only wish I was experienced enough to memorize more than two spells at a time."

Strype nodded, smiling but inside he was very worried. Rioldo had gotten away, and that meant that not only would the dynasty take them more seriously the next time, they would be prepared to counter everything he and his people had used this time around. No, the next fight was going to be far from easy.

* * *

Nabiki date was more true to form in Ranma's opinion. After a hard day of selling their new supplies brought over early that morning from Earth the two hit the market. Ranma watched happily as Nabiki in full ice queen mode haggled the prices down on several items of jewelry so hard that she caused the jeweler to cry. "You didn't have to do that to the poor man you know."

She smirked at the remark, chuckling a little as they walked away with Nabiki wearing two new earrings that on Earth would have probably cost her at least two months of profit back in Nerima. Here, after she haggled with the price for a bit it barely cost the same as three gallons of ice cream. _Supply and demand is a wonderful thin_g she thought gleefully. "That's not the point Ranma," she said smiling widely now, "it was fun, that's the point."

"I suppose," he said softly, looking away.

"oh what is it now" she said you're not going to do a emo moment on me are you?"

Ranma almost ran into a stall he was so shocked and she giggled a little. "Ranma I can read you like a book." She paused for a second then continued. "I can read most people like a book but you, you're a picture book." Ranma mock pouted at her and she went on. "Yes, I'm happy with you. Yes, Kasumi told me about the question you asked her last night and no I don't want any other boyfriend."

"Don't get me wrong you're not perfect." She said smirking. "You're not rich, you're not very forward thinking, but you're fun, kind, and someone who brought adventure into my life and changed the way I look at things. Kasumi wanted the adventure you bring, I wanted the action, the solidity and kindness, as well as your sense of humor. And when I'm with you," she said, pausing and looking at him as he looked back at her his entire attention on her. "I'm the only woman you see. Any idea how rare that is? If Brianna or Kasumi or Sheila," she smirked at him a little and he flushed "nearby you don't see any other woman. We just passed an incredibly gorgeous barbarian or Amazon or something woman and you didn't even look while every other man on this street couldn't take their eyes of her. You looked at her sword once and then that was it."

Ranma shrugged not seeing anything special about that. "Why'd I want to look at someone else when you're right here? I don't know her anyway, why would I look at her at all?"

Nabiki stopped walking and turned, leaning up for a swift kiss on the lips. "And that's why I love you Ranma."

Eventually the two arrived at the Tavern that had dance section out front. It was already crowded, and a local troop of bards was playing in the corner. The two ate quickly, laughing and joking about the pranks they had pulled back in Nerima, and some pranks ideas that they could play on the Diggers and the others back on Earth. After their plates had been taken away Ranma stood offering his hand to Nabiki and said, "Would you care to dance milady?" in a joking manner and she grinned and took his hand and the two moved onto the dance floor. Dancing here was much like at a high school prom dance, there was no set tempo or anything; you just held your partner close and danced however you wished. This was a good thing, as neither Nabiki nor Ranma actually knew how to dance. They both had a natural ability at physical things, but no real knowledge of dancing.

The two danced for a few songs kissing occasionally, but generally just hugging one another and moving with the music.

There were interrupted however by a drunk human dressed like a farmer who smacked Nabiki on the ass and asked drunkenly "how much for a twirl darling?"

Before Ranma could do anything Nabiki turned and glared at the man with her frostiest of glares. She raised a single hand and for just a moment it glowed a light blue. A second later the drunk was grabbing his crotch and screaming incoherently as frost began to appear on his pants.

Nabiki smirked and turned back to Ranma. "Dr. diggers has been training me in my ice powers they're quite fun actually and very subtle if I want them to be."

Unfortunately the drunk had friends, and several other human men and three werecats males came forward angrily. "Just because you're a mage doesn't mean you can go around using your powers on people!" One of them exclaimed.

"Yeah," the others muttered, "we're going to mess you up good for doing that."

Ranma looked down at Nabiki and shrugged smirking. The crowd around them parted racing to the edges of the dance floor as the other group moved toward the couple.

Ranma however shot forward catching two of them by their leather jackets and throwing them back into the others. Nabiki concentrated on one of the werecats and had him running in fear of his dick falling off from frostbite within a few seconds. She turned and methodically did the same thing to the next two werecats while Ranma kept them all far away from her. By the time she was done with the last one he had finished all the humans, and he gathered them up one at a time and tossed them out of the tavern. By the end of the fight the crowd was cheering and Nabiki grabbed his hand. "Come on, I'm not letting those idiots ruin our night. Let's get back to the dance floor." She looked over at the trooper of bards and who do not need to be told twice, and the rest of the night passed peacefully for the two of them anyway. Ranma and Nabiki ended the night in her bed, and though they didn't go all the way, the noises they both made kept Brittany and her sister awake for a few hours, something they pointed out rather angrily the next morning, though Brianna's shit-eating grin did take away from her anger.

* * *

Three days later, days that everyone in the group from Earth enjoyed a lot, they received word that the spaceship was ready, and the Digger sisters and Ranma were going back to Earth.

"Were going to miss you guys," Nabiki said softly, not letting go of Ranma and looking at Brianna and Brittany.

We'll miss you too," Brittany said for all three of them. Ranma nodded, not looking up from his hugging the two Tendo sisters. After a moment he pulled back and said, "Don't worry we'll be back before you know it, we'll bring Strype back if we have to drag him." Brittany nodded gleefully at the idea. She loved her muffin, but he was going to pay for leaving her behind.

Alia and Sheila both grinned at Ranma and the Digger sisters. "Don't worry we'll keep an eye on both of them for you." Alia in particular was going to keep an eye on both of them, having agreed to move in with the two sisters until she could buy her own place. Her pay from Nabiki was very good, but as she was also eating their food much of her pay went back into the café. And that didn't even count the fact that she was the first to try the medicine they sell sold as well. Sheila had extolled the virtues of the mighty Midol and pads to her and she was hooked on the idea.

Ranma nodded. "Thanks you two," he said before pulling both of the were-women into a hug before turning and kissing Kasumi and Nabiki soundly on the lips. "I'll be back soon," he said staring at their blushing faces. "Don't get into any trouble without me okay?"

Kasumi smacked his shoulder playfully and Nabiki just shook her head and he turned away joining the Digger sisters and moving through the portal.

* * *

End chapter

And thus ends the Jade chapter. Next chapter will be out next Wednesday, and the poll about Brittany will end at that point. But after that I am afraid the chapters will start to come out every other week, as work is picking up and we are unfortunately coming to the section of the story that I have only the vaguest outline for. A question about that actually, should I figure out some way to still have Hanzo change into a woman? I honestly have no thoughts about the matter.


	16. Chapter 15 Violence is the Swiss Army

I don't own gold Digger or Ranma. Author's note will be at the end of the chapter. Oh and the games I mention in this chapter are made up, just consider them Gina-made knockoffs.

* * *

**Chapter 15 Violence is the Swiss army knife of inter-species contact**

It was barely an hour after Brittany, Brianna and Ranma returned from Jade that the trio left the house with Gina to go over to Penny's mansion, where the spaceship that the two geniuses had built was waiting for them.

They were greeted at the door by Charlotte the Phoenix girl, who despite everything was still nervous around Brittany and her eager anticipatory look was not helping. Brianna howeve went out of her way to be friendly to the timid Phoenix girl, though she wondered idly why Benji had disappeared once Peachbody ceased to exist, but Charlotte hadn't. Gina had a theory of course, but Brianna couldn't follow it. "Hey Charlotte, how are you doing?"

"Hey Brianna, I'm good, Penny's been teaching me how to cook and I'm nearly ready to make bread by myself! She and Gina are downstairs in the hanger bay, I'll show you the…" That was as far as she got before Brittany bolted off at top speed.

Ranma and Brianna blinked looking at one another then shrugged in unison. "Guess she knows the way, see ya later bird girl." Ranma and Brianna walked off and Charlotte shrugged going back to her room. Penny and Gina had given her a new book on birds around the world, as well as a documentary, and she was having a lot of fun watching it and trying to identify all the different types. Since Penny had told her there was no air in space and therefore she wouldn't be able to fly she had lost interest in going with her on this mission.

Ranma followed Brianna through the mansion, then into a large underground hanger. He stopped for a moment, taking in the sight of the spaceship that Penny and Gina had designed and built together. The ship had a large cylindrical body tapering at the front down to a point like a beak, with two heavy wings and four boxes with several large guns set into them at the front and others on the top of the wings. Right behind the wings there looked to be the entrance to the interior, while the back of the cylinder widened into a wing shape with what Ranma assumed were the ships real space and hyperspace engines. All in all it looked sleek and heavily armed something Ranma knew they had Brianna to thank. He walked up to her putting his arms around her waist as Gina and Penny greeted Brit and filled her in on how fast the ship was and when they would be leaving. "So what kind of toys did you give this thing Bria-chan?"

Brianna smirked leaning back into his embrace and pointing at the guns on the wings. "Heavy lasers, should be able to cut or at least ding anything we run into. The boxes on the front hold some missiles of my own design, they'll make a big boom, let me tall ya!"

Ranma sniffed the air and frowned for a second, looking around and seeing Hurtz standing behind Gina as her bodyguard even here, but not seeing what he had smelled, the smell of nitro-glycerin, smoke, metal and rubber. "And where'd you stow your little peebos?"

Brianna looked at her out of the corner of her eye and then looked around making certain that no one else had heard him. Neither Brittany nor Gina were really enthused about her little self aware bombs, but Kasumi loved them, calling them cute, while Nabiki had initially thought of them as a great source of revenue, but had seen Gina's point about not wanting to attract the notice of the military. Ranma though had no problems with them. "I hid them in two of the cargo holds. I figured that you can never have enough booms."

"Heh, a girl after my own heart." Ranma let his hands rise a little just enough for his thumbs to nudge the bottom of her large breasts, gently holding her against him as his thumbs moved back and forth, gently rubbing her skin. Brianna stifled a gasp. Ever since their date in Jade, Ranma had been much more comfortable letting his tomcat side out to play with her, and she was ecstatic about it. These little touches and tender moments were just what she needed to get through a day.

A moment later though Ranma released her and moved over to talk to Gina, leaving Brianna to pout behind him. "So how many of us can this thing hold?"

Penny winced. "Well, see that's the problem. This ship goes so fast in realspace and hyperspace that it requires the crew to wear special suits to damp the g's down, but Gina and I were only able to fabricate five suits, and if we want to catch up with El Dorado in any kind of timely fashion we need to leave soon."

"Well I'm going and that's final!" Brit growled. None of the others argued with her of course.

Penny nodded. "And I need to go along to man the radar, Ace needs to go to pilot the ship, Gina to control the engines and Brianna to man the weapons so..."

Ranma held up a hand. "Did ya take inta account that were-creatures can take much more punishment than normal humans?"

Gina winced. "No, but there's no way we can allow you to come with us without a suit. I mean the dangers…"

"danger smanger." Ranma scoffed. "What matters is getting there the fastest with the mostest." Nabiki had introduced Ranma to the history channel and he had become a major fan of some of the documentaries on WW2, likening strategy and tactics to learning new martial arts forms and analyzing his opponents. "If that means a little pain I think we can take it."

Brit nodded, though inside she was a little hesitant, but there was no going back now, and they did need every good fighter they could get. "Yeah, Ranma's right, if it'll help my muffin, I don't care."

Penny and Gina looked at one another, before looking back at Brit and Ranma's determined, mulish expressions. "Alright, we'll reconfigure the inside of the ship to take more passengers, but I don't think you're going to like it."

Gina shrugged. "Still this'll let Genn come along, he'll be a big help when we need to communicate with the Aebrans or maybe even the dynasty if we can open up a dialogue with them.

Ranma shrugged. Like or dislike was all the same to him, so long as he got to go along and help his friends he didn't care. "Anyone else?"

Penny turned away, getting into the starship to reconfigure the forward most cargo area for passengers while a team of their allies that had volunteered for this spoke up for themselves. "That'd be us laddie!"

Ranma looked around, wondering where the voice with the Irish accent came from. He at last looked down and blinked at the sight of five little people, about as large as his hand, standing there in front of as many shoes and wearing color coded tights. He blinked again at the odd clothing, "What's with the sentai team, and what magic shrunk them like that," he looked over at Gina, smirking a little "Or is this one of yer experiments gone wrong Gina?"

As Gina shook her head in amusement the one girl in the group, clad in pink of course, said "Ah don't know what a sentai is, but don't be insultin' the little people or you'll see what our magic can do ta ya squint eyes."

The leader of the team (Ranma could tell because he was wearing red, the leader always wore red) spoke up hastily, possibly thinking Ranma would take offense. He didn't he'd heard far worse insults directed at him than a general racial slur. "We're leprechauns lad, and our clan be owin' a debt ta Gina and the Diggers."

Ranma had never heard of leprechauns but just nodded, thinking it wasn't worth the trouble. Brianna however was rather skeptical. "And this has nothing to do with us going to the planet that was the original home of the fabled city of gold?"

All five of the leprechauns sniffled, their eyes going big and shiny in joy. "It's true, begora, the promised land!"

Gina shrugged. "They want to come along and help us, and they've got some firepower and magic, which we may find is the way to go against these dynasty chumps. Then too, their strange vehicles that Penny here" she smirked at her friend who blushed, "built will shield them from the g-forces, and we can put them all in one of the emergency lockers without adding much to the overall weight."

Hurtz spoke up at this point. "User Gina, is this unit accompanying you?"

Gina shook her head. "Sorry Hurtz we don't really have that much space, we'll already be pashing it with Ranma and Ryan joining us."

This unit can be placed in a non protected hold on standby." Gina was about to shake her head again but Hurtz went on. "This unit's primary function is to protect you and the other users, this function cannot be achieved if I do not go along with you. This unit understands you will be heading into a warzone, which is approximately 234% more dangerous than even your most dangerous adventures on file. This unit would be… concerned if it did not go with you."

Gina was barely able to keep her jaw from dropping in shock. Hurtz and some of her other, older hurtbots were starting to exhibit human emotions, something none of them had been programmed for, not to this extent anyway. They were becoming almost alive, rather than simply programmed to have a few funny quirks or blind spots. This though, was well beyond her designed parameters. It was either the start of something great or terrible, and she wasn't certain which. She sighed then nodded. "Alright, you can get in the port side cargo hold, okay, but don't blame me if you get damaged." Hurtz nodded, and walked away.

* * *

Within an hour Genn had arrived and he, Ace, Penny Gina and Brianna got into their suits and then entered the ship, moving toward the front section into the large cockpit. Ranma, after spraying himself extensively with the anti-pheromone spray, and Brittany followed them stopping at what had been a cargo section right behind the cockpit. Ranma had brought a full bag of spray, which he kept in weapons space, but Brittany had brought along two gintendo DS's, a cord, and several games.

The two had barely gotten situated, strapping themselves in tightly in two seats across from one another before Gina's voice sounded off from the intercom. "Alright boys and girls, keep your trays in the upright position until the captain says… well we won't be letting those down ever really. You will however be allowed to move about the cabin once we enter hyperspace, but we don't recommend it. The g's as we launch will be a two on a scale of one to five, but the g's when we get up to speed to enter hyperspace will be a six. Don't say I didn't warn you." She finished speaking, a very worried expression on her face. She knew both of them would survive, but the forces they were about to be subjected to were tremendous.

Aces voice next. "We're rolling out onto the tarmac, lighting up the main engines…. Takeoff in five, four, three, two… one!" Ranma barely twitched as suddenly it felt as if his old man was sitting on every part of his body. Brit grimaced irritated, but didn't say anything. Ranma grinned at her then shouted loud enough to be heard through the intervening door into the cockpit. "That all you got dude, come on, my old man could drive faster!"

Ace howled in laughter, "DAAAAYUM, Gina, Penny-girl, you two have gots to let me buy this baby off you. Holy shit this speed is amazing, ten second, fifteen, twenty! Twenty seconds to reach the stratosphere, holy shit, barely a minute to break out of the gravity well! And Ranma, man don't go dissing the speed dude, you're only feelin' it back there not seein' it. And we'll be going faster soon enough anyway."

"Bring it on!" Ranma yelled back, winking at Brit and causing Ace and Ryan to laugh at his bravado. Birt grinned back at him, her werecat body now used to the pressure and she moved around a little in her seat, getting a little more comfortable. A few minute later Ranma looked over at her then gaped before looking away. "Uh, Cheetah… you uh changed."

Brit looked down at herself then gasped as she realized she was in her human form, and that her clothes were practically falling off her. "What the heck?"

Brianna's voice came over the intercom. "Hey sis, did you change forms too? I'm fully human now, so I was wondering. Gina and I think it has something to do with how near we are to the moon, you know it has odd effects on lycanthropes."

Brit nodded, wincing, but then looked up in surprise as Ranma stood up from his seat, moving in front of her in an attempt to shield her from the g-forces. It helped a little and she nodded at him thankfully before replying. "Y-yeah I did change, hope this won't last long."

Brianna answered swiftly, yelling back as Ranma had, since the intercom in this section of the ship was stuck out of reach in the wall. "It won't guys, don't worry we're moving away now. And I just changed back! Nice timing." Brit changed back too, and Ranma moved back to his chair as Brianna went on, her voice turning a little teasing. "Too bad, I wanted to see if you liked my human form as much as my normal body Ranma."

Ranma strapped himself in again replying at the same time in an almost absent minded manner, trying to figure out the straps again as he yelled. "I fell in love with yer mind and heart Bria-chan, you're bodies just a bonus not the whole package, I'd love ya whatever you body looked like." Brittany nodded, not feeling any jealousy now that they were on their way to find her muffin, merely happy her sister had found someone special.

* * *

In the cockpit Brianna blushed hotly while Gina sighed at how romantic a line that was and Genn smiled appreciatively, wistfully wondering if he/she would ever hear anything remotely as romantic from Séance, who he/she was slowly developing a bit of a crush on. Penny however looked over at Ace. "How come you never say things like that to me hmm?" Ace chuckled nervously but thankfully a click behind them drew Penny's attention. "Brianna, no, sit down, we're still accelerating up to enter hyperspace, you can't move around yet!"

Brianna pouted, but buckled her safety harness again.

* * *

In their compartment Ranma and Cheetah were subjected to a growing amount of g forces. Within ten minutes it surpassed her ability to take it and she gritted her teeth, wincing. More and more pressure pressed into them but Ranma merely grimaced. Cheetah on the other hand was close to blacking out. Ranma looked over at her and saw her fac clenched in pain and he reached across the intervening space to grab her hand. Brittany looked over at him and he smiled encouragingly. "Hold on Cheetah, stay with me huh? We're nearly there. Breathe with me okay, you can take it."

Brit nodded concentrating on his face as he breathed in and out, then her body got used to the pressure. A few minutes later it got even worse, but Ranma kept a grip on her hand and after a moment more the pressure eased off.

Gina's voice echoed from the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen we have entered hyperspace! ETA on arrival at Aebra is twenty hours. Heh, twenty hours to cover the same distance that El-Dorado covered in two weeks, we'll arrive barely two days after them, damn I'm good. Everyone alright back there?"

Brit nodded thanks to Ranma who grinned and moved back, turning his chair to face her and making motions with his hands to indicate she should break out the gintendo ds. She smirked at him doing the same before reaching into her own weapons pace, which she used almost exclusively to carry clothing purchases and makeup. "We're fine Gina, but Ranma's seems eager to lose to me in Final Combat. You're going down judo boy!"

Ranma caught the gintendo ds she threw at him, answering her own smirk with one of his patented lopsided smiles. "Hah, you'll see, martial arts are great for finger speed and reaction time. You have no chance!"

Gina chuckled and Brianna, now able to move about came back to join them. "I've got winner!" Behind her Gina scowled momentarily, but she wanted to stay on the bridge to watch the engines performance and get some readings from hyperspace, already what she was seeing was truly fascinating.

Brit and Ranma nodded at her then connected their machines and picked their characters. They began to play, and soon the combat got fast and furious. Brit leaned over her chair, staring down at her machine as her fingers moved as fast as her cheetah reflexes could make them, but was still barely holding her own against Ranma.

Ranma won the first match with barely any health left, but made the mistake of looking up. His eyes were almost immediately caught by the large amount of cleavage Brittany had accidentally put on display. He blushed looking down quickly and hoping neither of the girls had noticed his reaction, covering it by scowling angrily as his badly injured fighter died quickly under Brittany's renewed assault. He had never said anything but Brittany was the one girl he had yet met, apart from Sheila, outside of his trio of girlfriends that he knew he was attracted to. She was bright, funny, kind, a decent fighter, drop-dead gorgeous, adventurous and had a fantastic sense of humor. His reaction to her however shamed him a little because he knew that she was with Strype, hell this whole trip was to get him back for her and Ranma wasn't a poacher.

After this little slip however Ranma won the next round handily and Brit howled. "NOO, my title as mistress of Final Combat, I demand a rematch!"

Ranma shrugged but Brianna reached forward, grabbing her sister's gintendo out of her hands. "Oh no you don't my turn sis." She sat down with her into sister's chair, squishing close to her, and making Ranma's eye bulge a little before he promptly concentrated on looking down at his machine. Brianna had a major advantage over the other two: she cheated. She knew all the super powers and power moves of every character, which made up most of the disadvantage she was at reaction wise. Ranma however was just that little bit better, and after three rounds won by the skin of his teeth.

Brit took her gintendo back and immediately chose her character and the two began round two of the impromptu contest. Ranma won again, though Brit had gotten a lot closer that time. Brianna once more took her turn, and this time won, causing Ranma to pout dramatically. After laughing at him a little Brit took his machine and the two sisters faced off, their faces glaring at one another as they jostled in the chair, their bodies pressing against one another causing Ranma inner tom to sit up and yowl. He looked away but thankfully within five minutes the two finished and Brit was the winner.

Brianna scowled but tossed the handheld over to Ranma. He and Brit played again, and when he won she scowled then reached into her weapon space to bring out another cartridge and a third DS. "Let's play a team game now, rest up for the next match. But you haven't taken my crown just yet Ranma, I refuse to admit defeat!"

Ranma smiled at her lopsidedly. "Sure, I'll take your challenge anytime."

For the next several hours the trio fought their way through Dragon Fantasy, breaking off only once to have some food from specially made tubes, much like the astronauts used and to let Ranma reapply his anti-pheromone spray. Ranma played a martial artist naturally, putting a lot of skill points into speed and dexterity and healing mantras. Brittany chose a fighter, putting all her points into strength and speed. Brianna chose to be a mage, emphasizing offensive firepower. The trio worked very well together and once more Brittany was happy she had become so close to her 'new' sister. She hadn't done it on purpose, but the two of them never really hung out like she did with Gina at times, maybe because Brit knew Brianna had harbored a crush on Strype before Ranma came along. Now though the two of them had hung out more than she had with Gina for a while, and had become far closer because of it.

Later she learned that their closeness might be a little much. Gina's voice rang out over the intercom. "Okay boys and girls, we've just passed the halfway point. Suggest we all bed down soon that will give a few hours to wake up and eat before exiting hyperspace over Aebra."

Brit answered in the affirmative, and the trio saved their characters but she wanted to have one more round of Final Combat against the others. She brought out the cartridge and waved it at the others. "One more go around?"

Ranma nodded, but Brianna held out her hand. "You remember that you lost the last time, so it's me against Ranma this time." Brit frowned a little but handed it over. Ranma again won the first round and he grinned triumphantly. Brianna saw that, and a wicked idea occurred to her. She leaned forward, tugging a little at her shirt, and said "Hey Ranma" in a throaty voice.

Ranma made the mistake of looking up and he gaped like a dear in headlights at the sight of her cleavage. She kept playing with one hand as she slowwwwly tugged the shirt further down from the neck. Ranma couldn't look away and soon enough his character died for a final time. The games loud 'You Lose!' brought him out of it and he looked down then up as Brianna straightened in her chair, her sister giggling next to her. "That wasn't fair, you cheated!"

Brittany plucked the cartridge out of his Ds as Brianna answered. "All's fair in love, war and games lover."

Ranma scowled but acquiesced and Brittany turned to her sister. "I hope you don't think you can use that same technique to win against me, I'm going to take back my Final Combat crown!"

Brianna smirked at her and the fight began neither looking up from their handhelds for the first round. As that round ended with Brit having won with nearly half her health left, Brianna suddenly smirked and started to talk. "Oh are you so sure about that?"

"What do you mean?" Brit asked suspiciously, not looking up from her screen, scowling as she lost the next round due to her already battered health bar. She was certain she would win the next round though.

"Heh, remember I used to be a part of you, I still have a lot of your memories. I remember some 'experiments' you and Dinah tried when you were younger…"

Brit's hair stood up in shock all along her body. "Wh-what the hell, I, you!"

Brianna laughed as her character declared her the winner. "Hah, some psychological warfare and guess who comes out the winner? This girl!"

Brit still glared at her, but her lips were twitching trying to form a smile. That was dirty, but alright. As long as you never mention certain things again clear?" Her eyes hardened noticeably on the last few words and Brianna nodded.

She got up out of her chair and then moved over to sit on Ranma's lap. "I think though the winner deserves a bit of a reward." She leaned in for a kiss, but kept it pretty chaste, knowing that Ranma wouldn't want to make Brit uncomfortable, nor did she have any desire to do so either. After she broke the kiss she sighed shifting around and getting comfortable. "I think I'll just sleep here, you're far more comfy than my chair up front."

Ranma groaned, the shifting, sexy half-werecat on his lap having the natural reaction, but with an effort of will he calmed down. He looked over at Brit who nodded, before reaching into her weapons space and bringing out a blanket. She curled up, put some headphones over her ears and went to sleep. Ranma brought out a blanket from his own space and wrapped it snugly around Brianna and him. Sighing he kissed her on the cheek and leaned back, determined to get some rest himself. Despite the fun of the journey he knew they were heading into one hell of a fight, and he's need all the energy he could get.

* * *

The group of adventurers had about an hour to get up, have breakfast and prepare themselves before the ship exited hyperspace over Aebra. While the leprechauns were going ecstatic about the readings they were getting from the planet about its metallic composition, Gina immediately noticed the massive amount of ships in space around them. Most of them appeared to be sort of semi e-shaped with central portions bristling with a few weapons. These appear to be space fighter types, while the main ships, of which there were three that she could see, and maybe one gigantic one already on the ground from her readings, looked to be just mountains of rock, As she watched dozens of fighters peeled off form their orbits and came towards them. "Uh-oh," she muttered. "Uh, Brianna…"

Brianna's eyes had lit up with glee at the number of enemies the screen showed. "Oh, I love me a target rich environment!" She immediately began to power up their weapons, and her screen started to light up with targeting indicators.

"Wait Brianna!" Gina exclaimed, "let's try to talk to them first. We don't know if those are the Kryn ships or the dynasty ships, we don't want to start a galactic war here!"

A few of the ships however, began to fire on the interloper, and Brianna glared at her sister. "You were saying?" Gina sighed then nodded and Brianna gave a whoop. These weapons had all been developed by her specifically for space and air combat, and she was very proud of her work.

She flicked the switch changing her missile load out to primary space load and after that dozens of large missiles shot out from the box see missile launchers on the tip of the spaceship, but only half of them went streaking towards the nearest enemies. The others paused then suddenly went quiet, disappearing off the screen entirely. These were the capital ship killers she had developed, and their job would be to blow up the main battleships of the dynasty, hiding from any kind of detection device she could think of before they closed with their target and went kaboom.

Six dynasty ships exploded, the rest of their fighters came on and Brianna switched the load out to swarm missiles. As those shot off, Ace began to take evasive maneuvers. Brianna switched over some of the smaller lasers to his control. "Go nuts Ace!" she cried happily as several more dynasty ships exploded. "There's plenty for all!"

Her attention however was diverted went Penny said, "What the heck is up with that? How in the world is she still alive without any spacesuit!"

Coming towards them riding one of the starfighters as if it was a surfboard was a blonde haired young woman, wearing what looked like a cloak over a bodysuit that came up to her neck. Though the people on the spaceship had no way of knowing it her appearance was very strange in comparison to other dynasty members seen so far as she didn't have a face mask, merely some circuitry set into a small design on one of her cheeks.

Brianna smirked. "Methinks I just found a primary target," she said happily and powered up the ship's main heavy lasers. They shot out but the girl dodged jumping onto another starfighter and kept coming.

The video pickups zoomed in on her face and the people in the cockpit could see her smirk as she dodged again. Suddenly the blonde spoke, and for some reason it carried to them in their ship. "Hmmph, just more uppity lower life-forms, for a moment, I mistook you for an agent of the… others."

* * *

in their compartment, Ranma looked at Brittany, alright, what the hell, even I know sound doesn't travel in space like that, how the hell are we able to hear her?"

Brittany shrugged, smirking a little. "Don't ask me, all the big brains are up front. Besides you're just trying to distract yourself from the fact you're stuck in here during a fight and can't even see what's happening."

Ranma stared at her, eyes narrowed a little and ears flat. "Tell me you like being stuck in here while a fights going on." Brittany looked away quickly, and he smiled. "Thought not."

* * *

Brianna however could see what was going on and didn't like that she kept missing the alien bitch. "Oh no you don't," Brianna muttered angrily, "I'll get you my pretty!"

However, she couldn't hit the girl before she was alongside their ship. Her strange staff whipped out lightning arcing around the end of it and blowing a chunk out of one of the wings of the ship from Earth, slicing a large patch out of the wing.

Ace moved the ship away from her but he his skill could only do so much. As fast as the ship was, and it was fast enough to leave most of the fighters that were around them behind, it wasn't very maneuverable. "We need to get through this and get on the ground quick!" he exclaimed, "Or these fighters are going to pick us apart."

"I think you'll need some cover lad," said Mc'Keith, and his team shot out into space from the locker they had been staying in. Once outside, all of their ships, which were shaped into different types of footwear, combined to form a small robot. However, this robot had magic, and it appeared as if magic was much more effective than anything else had proved. In seconds, they had taken out fifteen starfighters and pulled the attention off the main ship.

Brianna nodded, standing up. "I think I'm going to go join them. I transferred all the weapons to you Ace go crazy."

Within seconds she was armed with her powersuit, which she always had with her in weapons space just in case, and she exited the cockpit, moving back through the ship to the airlock. In the next section she found Brittany and Ranma slowly going stir crazy being locked up without any ability to see what was going on. Ranma looked up at her and was very unhappy to see that she was ready to go out and fight and he couldn't do anything. After all, despite all his skills he didn't have a spacesuit, and didn't have any technique that could let him survive in space without one. Brianna smiled at them both. "Don't worry guys it won't be long until we're down and we can all get out of the ship. I just have to go and plow the road for a bit."

Brittany nodded and said good luck. "give 'em hell and stay safe sis."

Brianna nodded, but Ranma disdained words and simply grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into a tight hug that she could feel even through her powersuit and a kiss before letting her go. "Stay safe, okay Brianna?"

Brianna nodded happily and moved off exiting the ship. Once outside her power suit proved its worth, packing a lot of punch into a very small and maneuverable shape. She had a field day destroying several dozen dynasty fighters, then closing rapidly with the blonde chick. "Round two bitch!" she said sharply. The blonde haired fighter looked up and then barely dodged her initial salvo which impacted the ship she was writing. However, she was able to use her strange staff as a second source of thrust, and she rocketed towards Brianna firing the staff randomly. The two crashed together then apart while behind them, the spaceship kept on going towards the planet.

* * *

Inside the spaceship Ace was still having trouble, the ship just didn't move very well, it was made to deliver a punch, but not dodge one, which was his natural way of fighting. The enemy starfighters were slowly picking them apart, and it was with great relief that he felt the ship shudder and shake as it hit the atmosphere. "Finally!" he exclaimed. "Maybe now they'll back off." However around them the starfighters kept coming despite the atmosphere. "Great, just great, we need to figure out some way of getting these fighters off our backs!"

From behind him, Ranma shouted, "Hey, are we in atmosphere now?"

Gina nodded absently shouting "yes" back to him as she tried to figure out a way to convince the enemy starfighters to let them go. Behind the spaceship, the leprechauns and Brianna joined up again, trying to shield it from the enemy starfighters that just kept coming, with Brianna laughing while shooting at everything that moved. She had been able to knock out the dynasty chick pretty quickly. As good as the other girl was, she just didn't have the armor to stand against the pounding Brianna's powersuit could deliver. Brianna had benefited a lot from sparring with Ranma and her speed and strength were a lot better than they were, allowing her to use weapons on her powersuit that were on an order of magnitude better than the first version of her powersuit. The last Brianna saw the blonde she was entering a retrograde orbit around the planet.

* * *

Back in their section Ranma unbuckled himself and made to stand up. Brittany looked over at him worriedly. "What are you doing Ranma?"

Ranma grinned at her martial by martial arts style. "My main martial art is an airborne style, so you could say I'm just going out for a bit of fresh air." Brittany gaped at him, but before she could do anything he was gone past the door from their section and into the airlock. The airlock swished open and he waited for a moment then as an enemy starfighter swooped in close jumped out as far as he could. His cat form's claws scraped along the wing of the fighter before catching and he flipped himself up to land on top of it. One hard punch to the center section of the fighter and it started to trail smoke and debris. Two more came close and he jumped from one to the other smashing them both.

as

* * *

Back inside the cockpit Penny ace and Gina were all looking out of the viewport. They stared in astonishment Ranma made his way through the fighter brigade leaving carnage and destruction in his wake by the simple expedient of making them shoot at eachother to get to him and jumping from one to another. The amount of smoke and debris coming from the fighters he destroyed gave Gina got an idea. "Let them hit us for a bit Ace, I've got an idea. She worked her fingers over her keyboard as Ace spluttered at the idea, but Penny convinced him to go along with it, while the engines began to smoke and shiver. "All right" she said happily, we've got a lot of smoke, we now look as if we're severely damaged. Put it into a tailspin and maybe they'll think we're going down and back off."

This strategy combined with Ranma taking so much of their attention surprisingly worked and the starfighters moved away from the main ship, allowing Brianna and the leprechaun crew to get back on board.

Ranma however was too far away and too busy having fun jumping from one fighter to another and smashing the mall to get back to the ship. Gina smacked her for head exasperated" now what do we do!"

Brianna came in having shucked her power armor and sat down again whistling happily. There was nothing like a bit of violence and shooting to get her mood up. "I wouldn't worry about Ranma," she chirped happily. "He's a survivor, will probably find him down on the ground somewhere. Just make sure we don't land as bad as we look okay?"

"Are you questioning my skill?" Ace asked "I'll get this puppy on the ground safe to worry. Whether or not it'll lift off again after that is a different story."

* * *

Ranma hadn't even noticed the hyperspace plane going down, he was too busy fighting dodging lasers and smashing fighters. It took all his concentration to dodge and keep moving, thus he didn't even look up when he heard another voice that strangely carried far too well. "You fight well Earther, yet I have to wonder at the wisdom of fighting like this so far above the ground."

Ranma destroyed the fighter he was on, then pushed off swiftly, rocketing towards where he thought the voice was coming from. The Dynasty warrior, clad in a black bodysuit and a strangely damaged white face mask, barely dodged even with his teleportation power. He appeared on another fighter far away from where Ranma was, rubbing his shoulder where Ranma's blow had landed. "Amazing reflexes as well."

Ranma growled out. "Yeah well, just wait there for a second dude, I'll get to you eventually, and then we'll have a nice chat about why starting wars with innocent planets is a bad idea."

Riogen, who had just two days previously fought Strype of El Dorado when he arrived on the planet, shook his head. "You seek to understand our reasons when they are beyond your comprehension. As I said to the Kryn prince we have stood against a calamity older and darker than anything you could imagine for millennia. Whatever we do to empower us is a small price to pay for that."

Ranma finished destroying his third fighter since Riogen had started talking and now was within for fighters worth of jumps from the dynasty warriors position. "Yeah whatever, sounds like you're trying to sell me on genocide man, not gonna happen."

Riogen sighed. "Primitive species do not need to understand our reasons, just know that in the end we are all that stands between all life in this spiral arm and destruction."

"Don't care, still gonna smash your face in!" Ranma finished the next fighter and suddenly was in jumping range of his target.

"I think not." Riogen used his power to switch places with a warlord class robot, a massive construction of metal with a head like a raptors and an elongated body hunched over with long arms. One of its open hands caught Ranma mid leap, smacking him away. "Farewell Earther, I will remember your bravery."

Luckily another fighter was in the area and with a blast of ki Ranma shot toward it, grabbed onto it and flipped himself up. The robot came on, and Ranma jumped to meet it dodging its first blow and slamming into its midsection punching hard and fast pummeling it down towards the ground. The air began to heat up around him and he scowled as he felt the heat through his hands. Luckily the robot was between him and the ground, and its bulk took most of the heat from their speeding down through the air. It wasn't actually a full reentry at this point, as Ranma's fight had slowly but surely made its way from the upper atmosphere down into the lower atmosphere, but it was still a long way down to the ground. As they did the remaining fighters peeled off, leaving Ranma alone with his shield/robotic adversary.

For the rest of the time in the air Ranma spent more time smacking away the robots hands and making certain it stayed facing the right direction, i.e. backward and between him and the ground than actually doing any damage to it. He didn't want the thing to come apart after all, which had happened to most of the fighters he had taken out.

Eventually the ride came to an end and Ranma found himself crashing into the center of what looked like a deserted town. The two of them, android and martial artist, made a massive crater as they crashed into the ground. That seemed to do it for the android, which twitched a little after they landed before it lost all power, its back and arms falling off. Ranma nodded in satisfaction and stood up looking around him. He grinned. "I just stepped onto my third planet, god my life is so awesome these days!" He slowly got out of the huge crater their impact made noticing the buildings and streets around them, then his eyes fell on something and his heart suddenly stopped, the grin on his face disappearing as if it had never been.

* * *

"Okay, let's get situated," Brianna called, looking around. In the distance she saw something smoking, possibly Ranma from his own landing, but Brianna stayed put, knowing he would come to them. She also wanted to get her babies out and let them have some playtime. She walked over to the outside of the storage section, and opened it up. "Alright boys and girls roll out!"

Dozens of tiny voices answered her, all ecstatic to be let out, and countless little peebos, little self propelled, semi-self-aware bombs rolled out.

On the other side Brittany and Gina opened the other storage area, Gina arming herself with her multipurpose hand gun, while Hurtz came out and stood up looking around them. He moved to stand behind Gina while Brittany groaned. She knew those tinny little voices. "Oh god Brianna, you didn't bring any of those little menaces here did you?"

"You bet I did" she answered cheerfully, pulling her big sister into a jubilant hug. "Come on, name one other weapon we have that can cause as much destruction and chaos as my little babies!"

Brittany rolled her eyes but didn't try to break Brianna's grip. "Well I suppose you got me there."

Ace and Penny began to work on the spaceship while the Vaultron Force began to create a small mine and Gina set about the business of finding out where they were and where they should go.

Before she could do so however they were hailed by a voice coming from on top of a nearby ridge. "I didn't believe it when I heard it, what are you all doing here? Regardless we need to move you all to cover quickly. The dynasty routinely sends out patrols around this area."

The group from Earth turned and saw Strype standing on top of the hill, his clothing in tatters but looking relatively uninjured and ready to go. Next to him

Brittany flew towards Strype faster than she had ever moved before, actually breaking the sound barrier so that she arrived at her destination, grabbing him and pulling him into a hard kiss, startling even Strype with her speed, though he turned the kiss quickly, before he heard her shriek of "Muuuufffffffiiiiiin!"

After a moment however she pulled back and her fist slammed into his face, sending him skidding away on the ground. The prince of El Dorado looked up at her in surprise, holding his bruised all. "The kiss" she shouted "was because I love you, the punch was for leaving me behind!"

She moved away, waving her arms into the air as she finally got everything she wanted to say off her chest. "Are you an idiot?! Who here has the most experience adventuring? Me! Who has a brilliant scientist known as a world-renowned hell universe renowned genius for a sister? ME! Why in the hell wouldn't you think of us and bring us along to help your people?! Did you really think either of us would say no, do you think we're selfish, or that we're not used to danger?!" Her sisters and the other onlookers looked at her with various expressions of shock (Penny and Ace) approval (Brianna) and surprised happiness at her praise (Gina).

Strype stuttered "I-I had no right t-to bring you along into my own people's fights. You shouldn't even be here. This isn't your fight."

Brittany reached down and grabbed him by his torn shirt pulling him to his feet. "Hello we're supposed to be engaged, last time I checked! Your problems are my problem, it's not just a one-way street!" Now that her initial emotions were dealt with she pulled him into a fierce hug. "I missed you Damnit, don't ever leave me like that again!" As she breathed in his scent she stiffened for a moment smelling something off about his sense, something that wasn't supposed to be there. Strype hesitantly returned the hug, though he seemed a little stiff still.

To the side of this tearful reunion, Archon, leader of the Aebran people, had been standing quietly nearby, nursing her jealousy at the openness and affection as well as the shock of those greeting Strype. Brittany looked over at her then walked up to her with her hand held out for a handshake. "In case you didn't notice I'm Brittany, that lump's fiancée." The archon introduced herself and shook her hand while Brittany made a point of inhaling, smelling her scent. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed that it was the same that she had smelled on Strype, and she too had his scent on her. _ Hopefully that means she just was his healer or something, _Brittany thought to herself. She had noticed how Strype's arm and head were both heavily bandaged from past injuries.

Archon turned from greeting the werecat, who even she had to admit was beautiful (in a lush sort of way, really those breasts were just obnoxious) to address Strype. "Prince Strype we should be…" Archon broke off as she spied another werecat coming toward them. The reason she stopped speaking was what that man was carrying. Brit turned and looked and her happiness at seeing Strype faded rapidly, while Strype's own face hardened noticeably.

Ranma had found the others by the simple expedient of searching the skyline for smoke and heading towards it. He was carrying what at first looked to be a large dirty doll. Only when Gina and the others took in how carefully he was carrying it did they realize what 'it' really was.

'It' was the body of a small Aebran child. Barely out of diapers from the size, it was impossible to tell due to the damage if it had been a boy or girl. All that could be said was that it was most certainly dead. Ranma ignored everyone around him, going down to his knees next to the Vaultron Force. Mc'Keith whipped off his helmet respectfully as the others bowed their heads. "Can you…" Ranma asked barely above a whisper.

Keith nodded swiftly. "Aye lad, we'll do that thing." The others swiftly went to work, widening their strip mine and making a makeshift grave. Hurtz also got to one knee, looking on as the young biological was put to rest.

Hurtz was, at bottom a hurtbot, but their name was misleading. A hurtbots duty was to protect the user, whoever the user was at the time. Their job was to preserve life, not just the users, but everyone's but the designated enemy. This little biological had no chance to grow up, to become whatever he or she would have become, because the Current Enemy: designated Dynasty, had killed it. Deep inside Hurtz, where most of the changes that had been occurring in him since meeting Ranma were, Hurtz began to create his own concept of right and wrong, and this was clearly wrong.

Ranma looked up realizing Archon was there for the first time. He nodded greetings to Strype, but focused on Archon asking "Do you have any rites you want to say?"

Archon nodded grimly, she had been getting far too much experience in doing this since the dynasty arrived, and began to speak in a slow lyrical dialect passing her hands over the child's body. Brianna and everyone else bowed their heads in prayer. Genn didn't even bother trying to translate the spell, feeling it was a private thing, and not wanting to really know what the Kryn was singing.

As the body was covered by dirt and Keith and his force finished patting it down Ranma growled, standing up like a moving glacier, slow but unstoppable. His voice came out flat, controlled, leeched of all emotion. "I don't care anymore about why they're doing this. I don't care where they came form or what they're getting out of this. The dynasty dies today."

Gina started to speak but stopped as she looked into Ranma's eyes.

Ranma was first and foremost a martial artist, and he lived his life by the code of the martial artist, which stated simply that the strong should protect the weak and that all life is precious. However there was another aspect to the code and that was: 'live by the sword die by the sword'. If you take a life, be prepared to die yourself.

Ranma didn't care about war or about reasons, only about outcomes. The dynasty had brought death to this peaceful world, thus Ranma in turn would visit death upon them. And heaven help anyone or anything that got in his way.

Gina looked into Ranma's deep blue eyes and didn't see the affable, laid back martial artist she tried to flirt with so often. She saw the cold, purposeful eyes of the one the Phoenix tribe called God-Slayer, and it shook her to her core.

She backed away, not even trying to stop him as Ranma turned and addressed Archon again. "Where're the dynasty forces concentrated?"

Archon answered him swiftly, something in this young werecats manner telling her to trust him, and just as importantly to get out of his way. "We made our stand in the capital city to bring their forces down on a prepared position. Other than small scouting parties to bring in our citizens, that's where the dynasty drones and family members are as well as where they are building their warrior factories." She turned pointing in the proper direction. "The outer walls and fortifications are about four hours run that way for my species, I don't know how fast you can go though."

Ranma nodded and strode off in that direction without another word, breaking into a jog before he was out of sight. He was joined almost immediately by the Vaultron force and Brianna and her Peebo horde. Hurtz too would have gone, but his priority was to guard user Gina, thus his hands were tied.

As the trio left, Gina began to work her hands around one another worriedly. "Wh-what should we do Brit, Strype? That lot have just gone off to cause mindless destruction without knowing anything about the dynasty, we need to find out more about them, find some weakness to exploit."

It was Archon who answered though, touching Strype's hand gently. "My prince, maybe we could use this to our advantage."

The others looked at her but it was Brit who answered, her voice sharp as she saw how at home Archon was being so close to her muffin. "What do you mean?"

"Archon brought one hand up to touch her forehead, where a series of designs was visible, much like the ones on Strype's visible arm. "Prince Strype and I make use of ancient devices left to us by our ancestors, though Strype uses many more of them than I. The fact that he was able to survive me fusing them to his body is still surprising. He is still healing form that ordeal, but his control is absolute." She looked up at Strype momentarily with admiration and something else in her eyes, something that made Brit's eyes, narrow.

Archon didn't notice, and she continued to speak in a calm voice, "My artifact gives me strong clairvoyant powers, thus I was able to find that the reason the dynasty attacked our world was to siphon off the power its core, its life essence, that which allows us to live on it. But until they do, most of them are weak in comparison to how powerful they will be. In fact the only one who is near to full power is the patriarch Rio. They have finished creating the device to siphon of the life energies of Aebra, but they are at their most vulnerable when they prepare themselves to receive that power. Rio will undoubtedly be the first one to take from that power, and if your friends can draw off enough of their guard, we might have a chance to strike directly at him"

Here she became a little hesitant. "Our original plan, and why we were both out here was to get close and for me to 'see' the best point for Strype to attack him. With the artifacts under his control Strype has by far the best chance to defeat him. If Rio falls, the dynasty will be leaderless and fall into a civil war to decide who should lead them. We may be able to push them off our planet at that point, and without taking the planets life essence they will be too weak to move to another solar system, forcing them to retreat back into the dimension they had been hiding in for so long."

Gina nodded, happy to hear of an actual plan rather than a brute force violence approach. "Ok what can we do?"

Ace spoke up then. "Well Penny and I need to stay here to fix the ship."

Gina frowned but shrugged. "Well, Hurtz can help you out when you attack this Rio character Strype, and Brit can go too."

Brit nodded firmly but before either could do anything more Strype shook his head. "I'm sorry Brittany, but my powers make me the actual choice for this, and as you are augmented similarly I must do this alone. With that he touched a small circle set into his belt and disappeared.

Brit yowled angrily "Strype, god damn it, what did I just get done yelling at you for!" She glared at Archon. "Where the hell is this focus place?"

With a thought Archon sent a map of the area into Brits head. "About two hours past the city on the other side where you all landed. Please get there swiftly, I fear Strype's selfless nature has betrayed him, Rio's power even weak as he is now is still tremendous."

Brit nodded grimly, ignoring the jealousy simmering in her gut as she remembered how Archon's scent and Strype's were mixed on both their bodies. "I don't know any other way to go. Hurtz try and keep up, but if you don't I'm leaving you behind."

"Affirmative." Hurtz paused, contemplating the attempts to talk to him he had been ignoring since stepping out of the starship. They were very… rude, they were in binary over his wireless, and it was obvious that none of the users could hear it, thus whoever was trying to contact him was being rude by trying to have a conversation in front of people that could not understand them. Still… "User Gina, this unit has detected multiple attempts at opening communication from approximately 1.57 km to the north of present position. Recommend you, user Genn, protected Ally Penny and protected ally Ace seek it out while this unit aids user Brittany. It may provide the information you seek."

Gina's eyebrows rose but she nodded, and Brittany took off, Hurtz hurrying after her. When the two were gone she turned and shrugged at Penny and Ace. You heard the man, besides, most of our big guns just left, we need to stick together." The two nodded and the trio walked off with Archon in the direction Hurtz had indicated.

* * *

The first the dynasty knew of their danger was when Ranma slammed into their outer defenses like a runaway train. Most of the time Ranma was very careful about not killing or destroying his enemies, they were after all mostly living beings, and he wasn't by nature a killer. This time however he wasn't holding back. His ki blasts roared out slashing into dozens of drones and a few warlords at once and slicing the arm off one of the dynasty's own members who fell to the ground screaming for a moment before Ranma was right for him. His hand glowed with white fire before it slammed into the dynasty member's face. That member was the first of many to die, as Ranma shot into the city looking for enemies to kill.

IN another universe at this point Riel would have been forced to put all their younger embers to sleep to keep them from breaking their indoctrination, but in this universe they had all seen their sister fall to Brianna in the spac above, and worry had kept them all from questioning their elders and working hard. So instead of dying in a massive peebo induced explosion, they died fighting Ranma, Brianna and the Vaultron force.

The Warlords and all their drones were made to fight creatures that were slow and not very maneuverable, but these three were anything but, and they were sneaky, popping up here and there only to disappear and attack any reinforcements from behind. And as they got deeper into the city, it got worse for the Dynasty forces.

Behind him, Brianna and the Vaultron force followed enlarging the gap and taking out any fighters that Ranma missed guarding his back. Brianna stopped at an intersection for a moment turning to address her Peebo force. "All right you lot search for something expensive to destroy. Targets of opportunity are factories where these drone things are being made any dynasty member that hasn't already been engaged and their massive fortress that could be around here somewhere if you can sneak on board. Wait until there's enough of you to destroy whatever your targets are and blow them up.

The peebos, semi-sentient as they were, all shouted, giggled and laughed with glee. They then broke off, hundreds going in several different directions and thousands more following the general pattern of the city, and Brianna nodded with satisfaction "they grow up so fast," and then she turned and rocketed back to join the fight around Ranma

Ranma's assault on the main forces in the capital brought in more and more of the dynasty's troops, but they ran into problems immediately. For one all three of their enemies packed one heckuva punch, far more than their size could account for, nor were these primitives at all frightened of them, and they were merciless, maneuverable, and tricky as hell. Riogen appeared as Brianna was talking to her peebos, but Ranma had figured out his teleportation ability and when he tried to appear on an overhand after dodging a punch Riogen was surprised to find a sliver of a metal wall imbedded in his chest. Ranma had tried anticipate where he would appear and threw dozens of pieces of debris at every place he thought the dynasty member might teleport to as fast as he could.

Really the warlords and other drones were the ones supposed to do the dynasty's dirty work at this point, but they were next to useless in this fight. For some reason Ranma's ki blasts just seemed to fuck everything up, the one time the leprechauns attack struck the same target as one of Ranma's ki attacks their magic went haywire. Anything electronic within a few feet of a blast from Ranma was shut down, its electronics going haywire, sometimes exploding, sometimes simply breaking but always becoming useless afterwards. With drones proving useless to protect them dozens of dynasty members died, and more of their forces as the battle continued. It got so bad that it actually pulled the newly rejuvenated Rio and his wife from his torture of Strype.

Strype had arrived at the massive gash in the earth that was the focus of the Dynasty's construct for siphoning off the planet's life forces. Hovering over the gash in the center of the strange spider like device was Rio, his long beard flowing in the wind hands upraised in rapture as he took the power of the planet into himself. "Rio father of the dynasty, I know what you have done to my world. That you've come to destroy it after you've siphoned off its soul and enslaved my people, I have even heard the reasons for it as given by Riogen. But there must be another way, one we can find if we work together. We can coexist peacefully."

Rio looked down at him, unreadable expression on his face. "Stryyp'Gia, Kryn prince, you impress me, despite all our efforts to kill you, you still stand before me as an equal. How arrogant of you!" Before Strype could even blink he was struck by a massive wave of power which blew him away to land fifty feet behind his former position.

Before he could even think of rising Rio's feet landed on his head, crushing it deeper into the rock underneath him. "How dare you assume you can treat with me you foolish, barely evolved creature! You are barley more than an insect to my family and I, yet you assume to treat with me! ME! Who roamed these stars when your race was barely working up to working together to hunt for food! For your arrogance you will die slowly."

Riel, hovering above them in a specially made craft that looked like a silver ball with an opening where she stood, shook her head. "We have no time for this Rio, can you not feel it, our family is dying in the city. This Kryn Prince must be a feint to keep you and I here instead of going to their aid."

Rio paused, kicking Strype into the rock again then reached out with his senses and was appalled to find that where there should have been nearly a hundred of his family there were only half that remaining. As he watched he saw another dynasty member die. He looked down at Strype slowly, teeth grinding together. "I see… you were but a pawn of our ancient foe, they who have hidden themselves for millennia have finally come out of hiding and struck a blow against us. They will not find me wanting in this contest I will avenge my family on their bodies!" He thrust out a hand and again Strype was blasted off his feet to impact a rock fifty meters behind him, knocking him out.

That done, Rio shot up into the air and away, followed closely by his wife. Behind them they left the prince of El Dorado, bleeding and battered beyond belief. This was the scene that Brittany and Hurtz, who had barely been able to keep up using the jet engines set into his feet, came upon. Brittany fell to her knees next to her muffin's singed form, and was insanely happy to find a pulse when she grabbed his wrist. That done she stood up, eyes blazing with rage and took off after Hurtz who had already turned to chase down Rio and Riel.

* * *

About ten minutes before this Ace, Penny, Archon and Gina had found the unconscious body of the blond woman Brianna had fought in orbit. "Jinkies, she survived reentry? Wow, her powers must have protected her somehow despite her being comatose."

"We did indeed, Miss Diggers, we have a sense of self-preservation, despite our desire to see the end of our so-called masters."

"Good Googily Moogily!" Gina shouted moving away from the body that for some reason was talking without actually moving its lips. Ace and Penny both brought up their weapons while Archon readied herself behind them.

Genn however shook his head. "don't worry everyone, she's still comatose, theres no mental functions beyond the most basic right now."

The voice spoke up again, "Do not be alarmed please. Uriel's mind will not be aware for some time to come, the beating she took from your sister and from the reentry will see to that. We are the cybernetic symbiotes the dynasty uses to siphon and store the life essence of planets, thus allowing them to use their incredible powers. But though we are self-aware this is the first time ever we have been free to communicate to another race."

"Wow, so you're her armor's computer? But why are you so friendly to us?" Gina asked.

"We were not actually create by the dynasty. The dynasty is but the debased, evil version of our creators, an ancient race called the Gardeners. They created us to help aid them in helping to garden the galaxy, create living planets heal ailing ones and spread life."

Archon winced, feeling through her powers Strype's pain as Rio blew him away. "Can we hurry this up please? Is there any way you can help us?"

The sentient was silent for a moment then replied. "We created your artifacts as weapons to be used against them eons ago, but as they are they will not be enough to face Rio. If we could figure out some way to ignore an order at the most opportune time we could help you kill Rio, but it appears as if you don't need our aid to kill the other dynasty members, over half their number have been slain in the last hour."

Ace whistled appreciatively. "Wow, Ranma and the others don't fool around."

Archon however had concentrated on the first part of what the strange computer said. "Gina, let me talk to the computer for a moment…"

* * *

Ranma had very carefully maneuvered several dozen drones and five warlords into a straight line and fired off his Dragon's Roar, slaughtering all of them. He then jumped up to a roof, looking around for his fellows. They weren't having anywhere as easy a time as it as he was and Ranma once more made a mental note to figure out why his ki blasts infused with his element caused all electronics and magic to go utterly wonky. He saw them and moved to join them quickly, landing a spinning heel kick on a warlord that had tried to pick up Brianna from behind.

It was at this point that the patriarch Rio arrived. Incensed at the losses his family had taken he immediately blasted the leprechaun robot, who fell to the ground with a gaping wound in its chest. Thankfully none of the leprechauns were actually in the chest, being in the hands, head and feet, but the robot was out of the fight. He turned to the others and shot off several more giant blasts that destroyed four houses but Brianna and Ranma dodged them. "Your depredations end here!" he exclaimed "you have hurt my family more than any other enemy in a billion years. But it was not enough and my power will see the end of you!"

Ranma stood up cracking his knuckles. "I hear a lot of talking not a lot of doing ass hole. I'm going to bury you on this planet you and your entire fucking family!" With a roar he shot forward, shooting out a Moko ha Reiku at the same time, which the patriarch dodged by the skin of his teeth.

A single hammer blow caught Ranma in the side of the face flipping him over but he moved with the blow in the air catching the fist with his hand before the old man could pull back in bringing his leg around in a kick that leveled the Rio into the ground. The dynasty patriarch shot to his feet quickly and tried to kick Ranma, but Ranma dodged again and slammed punch into his upper thigh. For some reason the patriarch could not understand he was taking damage! This odd looking cat thing was actually hurting him! Him, Rio of the dynasty of the stars!

Behind him his wife Riel was having trouble with Brianna, but nowhere near as much as Rio was with Ranma. Brianna, despite her insane amount of firepower could not break her shield, she was simply having trouble tagging the Diggers girl. Ranma's ki laced fists ignored Rio's shield completely for some reason, thus he was taking far more punishment than he ever had before.

At this point Hurtz and Brittany arrived, throwing in with Riel first. Archons mental projection stood on a rooftop near the fight, staring fixedly at the two battle occurring below her. "Wait for it, wait, now!"

Below Riel's suit computer began to ignore her orders to keep her shield up, and Brianna's next cannon blast caught her in the chest, blowing her backward. She gasped in unused to agony, looking down at her chest, which was bleeding and flayed under the blast. "Imp…impossible…."

Hurt knelt down next to her his robotic face somehow conveying anger, though no one who saw it could explain why. "This is for the little biological who your forces slew before she/he could grow and all those like it." Without another word Hurtz's hand shot out at speed, nearly as fast as an Amaguriken punch, punching through her chest and out the other side. Riel, matriarch of the dynasty died, still looking up at her killer in shock.

Brittany had joined the fight against Rio, and she reached out, grabbed his arm and twisting him away from Ranma who he had just blasted into the ground again. Rio turned with the pull blasting her away but Ranma rocketed to his feet kicking Rio away.

Rio shook his head, then looked over appalled as he saw the dynasty's main ship explode in the distance. He glanced around and saw his wife, seemingly lifeless on the ground and a drone of some sort moving towards him with another of these un-evolved beasts. Evidently it was pat time to retreat and fight another day. He reached inside and pulled out his powers, to push himself off the ground and into the air.

Suddenly only an inch of the ground Rio's powers left him. Rio landed back on his feet and looked down at his hands in shock and rising horror. "What… my power, It's…. what is …." Before he could even finish the sentence Brittany was there speeding through and slamming him with a punch going nearly the speed of sound, whose momentum rocket him through several of the cities buildings. Brianna followed up hammering the area where he landed with all the weaponry her powersuit contained as Hurtz did the same, unloading all its onboard weapons.

The old man was still able to push his way out of the rubble, his personal shield separate from the rest of his power suit and not part of the intelligent symbiotes. But another shot from Brittany put him down to his knees and he looked up just in time to see Ranma slamming a round house kick into his face as fast as he could make it move. There was a crack and the old man fell limply to the ground, his neck broken from the force of this last blow. The four fighters looked around them, and then at one another in wordless, exhausted happiness. The dynasty was at last defeated, this time permanently.

* * *

Almost as soon as the dynasty forces had been destroyed the natives of the planet came out of hiding, and Gina and Penny went to work helping them, along with Ace and Brittany. Ace had been astonished to get back to their spaceship to find it had repaired itself. Evidently Penny and Gina had been given a little something from the Atlanteans, who had developed the technology of automatic repair to a fine art. Gina and Penny, with Genn accompanying them everywhere as a translator, were able to collect enough resourced to start building construction droids.

Hurtz was left in charge of their prisoners with orders to disable them if any of the five woke up. None of them did so before the Earthers left.

Brianna and Strype were of course excused the physical aspect of this work. Strype had six broken ribs and numerous second and third degree burns across his entire body. Brianna had sores and bruises all over, and she could barely stand up, her muscles were pulled so badly. Even the leprechauns were out of it, though in their case it was mere bruises and being knocked around in their strangely shaped fighters than anything else.

Ranma too was battered, but after only an hour he was back on his feet and helping the Kryn rebuild their capital, surprising them all with his strength and speed. He did however make appoint every night to have enough free time to give Brianna a massage to help her deal with her sore muscles. The fact this always left her a quivering mess, a goofy smile on her face was just a bonus.

Another young couple was not having nearly as fun a time of it. Brittany made a point of trying to stay near Strype, but the functions and meetings he attended despite his wounds to help direct the reconstruction bored the hell out of her, and she eventually went off by yourself every time to help out somewhere else. She would come back later but would not be pleased to find that Archon had stayed by his side the entire time. This did nothing for her concerns about their relationship.

It took about a week even with Gina's help and her and Penny building construction androids to rebuild the city enough so that the Archon was satisfied her people had enough housing to go around and inform the rest of the planet that the war was over and bring them in to help rebuild the rest of the city.

* * *

The night after that order went out Brittany laid next to Strype kissing him occasionally however she paused as she nuzzled his neck, sniffing. She pulled back, looking at him and said "why do you still smell like Archon?" she said dangerously.

"Well I have been in the same room as her most of the week" he said slowly, but his eyes didn't quite meet hers. Brittany stood up looking at him. She decided to ignore that concern for another that had been growing in her mind all week. "Are you coming back to earth with us or not?" she said suddenly. She didn't like seeing how happy he was here, as well as how happy the people were with him, and knew that duty was one of the strongest parts of his personality.

Strype looked at her quickly in surprise then away. "I don't know," he said softly. "These are my people Brittany, I can't just abandon them. They still need my help here."

"And what about us Strype? Do you want me to stay here with you? I don't think I can do that. I don't want to leave my family like that and I'm not a princess, I'm not built for that kind of lifestyle, all those meetings, all those decisions that affect so many people."

Strype looked at her imploringly, "but you would be a great one. You-your magnificent, my people would learn to love you as quickly as I did."

Brittany shook her head. "This is your world Strype, but I'm not a princess or queen, I wasn't trained to make decisions for thousands of people I'll never meet, I wasn't trained to sit through boring meetings, I wasn't trained to be the center of a government. I'm an adventurer, not a ruler or a leader."

The two looked at one another silently both of them wondering how they got to this point, both of them wondering if this had been inevitable. Strype tried one more time "stay and be my Queen," he said.

Brittany shook her head. I'm not a queen," she said softly, sadly, "and I don't think I'm what you need any more, not if you and Archon…" She stopped and Strype looked away wincing. He should have known that he couldn't fool her nose. In actual fact he and Archon hadn't slept together, but when Archon melded the six artifacts of their people to him they had melded body and soul and with that kind of connection, love was almost inevitable if any sort of liking or attraction existed before.

Brittany slowly, carefully took the ring Strype had given her off her finger and laid it gently up into his palm. "I guess this is it." She said softly. "Neither of us wants to leave our lives. You have your duty here and I have my family and my adventures back on Earth. And I don't know if I can trust you again anyway, and you obviously don't respect me. Not five minutes after I tell you to remember I'm a fighter too you go off alone and nearly get yourself killed. I can't, I can't be with someone who doesn't trust me like that, and who wants me to be something I'm not, and then there's the whole Archon thing. "

Strype look down at the ring in his hand, knowing that he had made this mess through his own actions. He had tried to protect her yet ended up belittling her. he had tried to help his people, yet had met someone he felt strongly for after only a few days, displacing some of his love for Brittany, and who was raised as a leader to boot. He had come to help these people, but had already decided before this discussion that he would not be leaving. "I guess so." He said softly. "I really did love you. You know."

Brittany made no comment about the past tense of that statement, thinking it was probably just his subconscious getting the better of his mouth for a moment, not something he had consciously realized. "I know and I love you too. But your people need you more than I do, and you need them too. We'll always have the memories Strype but this is for the best I think." Strype nodded sadly.

The two stared at one another wondering what they should say and Brittany leaned down and kissed Strype gently on the cheek. "Stay safe, okay. You ever need our help you know where we are.".

He smiled for the first time in many minutes. The Diggers Corp., interstellar troubleshooters? Has a nice ring to it."

Brittany forced a smile and nodded. "Yep that's us troubleshooters extraordinaire well we more get into trouble then shoot other people's troubles, but you get the idea." They shared a little laugh and then Brittany raised a hand and waved at him "So I'll see you around."

Strype nodded "Yeah, okay." And with that Brittany left his suite trying hard not to break down in tears.

Outside the kings rooms, which Strype had been using, she nearly ran into Archon coming towards her with a heavy pile of papers, and she stopped and stared at the other woman.

Brittany slowly raised her hands to show her fingers and Archon's eyes widened in surprise, surprise and wild hope that she quickly tried to hide. However she failed miserably, but Brittany didn't take umbrage at it. She was too emotionally drained right now. She merely stopped next to the other woman and said softly "take care of him for me. If you don't I will find you."

The Archon nodded. "I will, and…"

"Don't," Brittany said "It doesn't matter if you meant it or not or if you knew about me or not or whatever just don't okay. We don't have to be friends. We don't have to part on good terms just take care of him." And with that she ran off at super speed leaving the Archon to stare at her back sadly. She'd gotten what she wanted, in the deepest part of her soul, but she wasn't feeling victorious at all, all she saw feeling was sad and guilty.

* * *

Later that evening Ranma surprisingly was the first to find Britt. She had raced out of the city and had perched on a large outcrop out in the wasteland that had once been a booming agricultural area. He sat down next to her not speaking simply sitting there with her. Brittany spoke after little while, staring off into the distance. "I always thought my life would be like a fairytale you know, find the right guy, get hitched and live happily ever after. Turns out the right guy can change overtime, and sometimes that change doesn't include you. I can tell he's going to love it here, I can tell he's going to his needed here, these people have more of a claim on him than I do, but why does this feel so bad anyway?"

Ranma shrugged he wasn't really good at emotions, but being hurt and confused, that he knew. "I don't know what to say to take away your pain Brit, I'm just here to lend a shoulder to cry on. Strype is a good guy, but his priority as a prince is to serve his people, and I guess being here with them sort of brought home the fact that he has more of them to look after."

Brittany nodded, choking up a little, "and there goes my fairytale dream, she said sadly. I don't know if I could even trust him again, he almost admitted to the fact that he and Archon slept together before we got here. And I don't want to stay here, this isn't my world. I guess I just wish that he felt more devoted to me then to his people but that makes me feel like such a heel and…"

Ranma pulled her into a hug muttering "love is often one of the most irritating emotions, and one of the most selfish. You don't have to feel horrible about feeling horrible about it Brit, it's just that sometimes love isn't really enough."

Britt broke down and cried into his shirt bawling out her sadness and Ranma simply sat there letting her get it all out. After about 10 minutes Brianna and Gina found them, and took over for Ranma. The whole story came out at that point, but Ranma had already left, letting the sisters have some time together to help their sister grieve for what might have been.

* * *

The group decided to leave the very next day, having to almost drag the leprechauns back onto the ship. None of them wanted to stay and force Brittany and Strype to be around each other any longer. Strype and Archon both understood, and they and their people bade farewell to the warriors of Earth who had nearly singlehandedly finished the Dynasty of the stars. As the spaceship lifted off and rocketed into space Strype watched from the balcony of his new place, staring until it was out of sight, then he turned ready to face his future.

End chapter.

* * *

And there you have it folks. Needless to say the winner of the pole was yes, but let them break up amicably The breakup was messy, but I couldn't think of a way that they could break up and still be on good terms with one another. Then too, when I read the original of this arc, I was disgusted by so many things about it. One, the speed with which it all happens, then the ease with which the dynasty is beaten. And third, the fact that a prince, someone raised to lead his people, would turn around and leave them when they needed him.

The poll (which you can now see on my profile) told me many things about my readers, among them the fact that the majority were pretty bloodthirsty. At first anyway, the kill them off choice was leading. It was only the last few weeks that the let them part amicably decision gained more numbers. PMs however, told me more about both sides of this argument than anything else, and I thank everyone who wrote to me regardless of whether or not you're happy with this decision. It was a hard decision to make, but I feel that if I want to take this story in a different direction than the original Gold Digger. I need to make some changes, and this is one of them.

I was never happy with how Strype basically abdicated the throne happily, and left his people for Brittany. This showed that he didn't really have a sense of duty as a prince would understand the word. Yet at the same time he leaves Brittany behind to go to help his people then won't stay to help them after? There's no chance that their planet was repaired, made whole after only a few days or however long they stayed there before leaving. Strype's people needed a strong ruler and he can provide that. And Brittany as a queen would make no sense whatsoever. She's not Kryn, she doesn't know their troubles. She doesn't have any training for it. She doesn't have any patience for meetings. As she said she's an adventurer not a princess. This way, they're still friends, but there will be quite a bit of awkwardness between them.

Brittany will be joining the harem eventually, but not right away. I estimate she'll join some time or after the end of the tournament ark. Ranma will be leery of letting her close because he doesn't want to be a rebound boyfriend or anything like that and he especially doesn't want her to make a mistake in her grief. And there will be some issues with Garr down the road.

Unfortunately at this time, I have bad news. I am sorry to say that this story is going to become a bi-weekly story. Real life has been kicking my ass and I need to do some research into Gold Digger going forward, we've gotten to the point where I don't even have an outline of where this story should go from now on. Well, I do have an outline of the flights for the tournament, and for the next chapter but that's all. That means I won't be putting out another chapter next week, but the week after that and so and so forth. That will continue until Warriors Way is done, whereupon this story will once again become a weekly story. In other news, my second chapter of my Harry Potter story will be out on Saturday along with Chaotic Space, which I still have several chapters nearly completed for.


	17. Chapter 16 Old Rivals and Rats

I don't own Ranma or GD, if I did one would have a decent female lead besides 'Ranko' and the other would have a decent male main character (all of the males in the series are side characters, and most of them suck, have you noticed that?).

Some reviews I would like to acknowledge:

Here is my next chapter guys, and things really start to change in this one, as I'm certain you'll see, above and beyond not having a wedding chapter. Hope you all like it and I have a quick question for everyone: should this story have lemons in it, or should I keep skirting the edge of full lemon flavor? Or would they take away from the actual story and plot? I know at one point that I was putting in a little too much fluff in WW and not developing the rest of the 'flock's' characters as much as I should. Regardless there won't be many of them I just want to see everyone's opinion on this.

* * *

**Chapter 16 Old rivals and Rats**

During the trip back to Earth, everyone tried to cheer Brittany up from her breakup with Strype yet all their attempts failed. Even Gina joining her sisters and Ranma in any Fantasy Kombat free-for-all and bringing along her mods, which added more decapitation strikes, more amusing fatalities, and extended everyone's life so the fights were longer, Brittany was still rather depressed by the time they landed. She tried to put on a brave face for the others, but all of them could tell that she was miserable.

About an hour after they landed in the hangar bay at Penny's mansion they were back home and Brittany went in search of her parents.

Gina sighed sadly. "Breaking up is always hard, especially in this case since they were so serious. I've never gotten to the fiancée point with any of my boyfriends I can't even imagine what Brittany's feeling."

Brianna growled. "If I had known Strype was cheating on her like that I would've stuffed one of my missiles up his ass before we left the planet!"

Ranma shook his head. "I don't know if he was actually cheating on her not, I didn't get that vibe really from what she was saying, I just think they should've grew apart, I wish there was something I could do to help her, though."

Gina and Brianna looked at each other then shrugged and Gina answered for them. "Give her a few days Ranma, and we'll come up with something to take her mind off things. Right now though I think it's time for some sister-time so could you make yourself scarce for a little while?"

Ranma nodded and Brianna and said brightly, "why don't you go see Nabiki and Kasumi in Jade? You can tell them all about what happened and see how they're getting along."

Ranma visibly brightened at the suggestion then leaned in and kissed her. "You sure you don't want me around?"

Brianna purred under his lips, hugging him to her tightly. "I always want you around." She said, "it's just that right now I don't think it'd be good for Brittany if you were and she saw stuff like this."

Ranma nodded then turned around and left. Gina turned to her sister and said, "all right, I'll get the ice cream, you get the sappy romance movies and the violent movies then we'll go and see Brittany. There's nothing like ice cream, sappy movies, crying and shouting to get over a breakup!" Brianna nodded and went off to her assigned tasks.

* * *

Brittany found her parents in their home going over some notes from Jade that a few friends had passed along and discussing the upcoming tournament. Unfortunately it looked as if Theo wouldn't be able to get there in time for the first few days of the ceremonies, the speeches and the parades and celebrations, but he would be there in time to watch his wife defend her position as the Armsmaster of Jade.

They stopped talking however as Brittany came into the room, both of them noticing something was wrong immediately. Julia asked, "Brittany honey, what's wrong? Where's Strype? I thought you all were heading out to retrieve him. Did something happen?"

A second later she grimaced as the large werecheetah slammed into her at superspeed, and began bawl her eyes out into her mother's shoulder. Theo looked on in shock for a moment then moved forward enveloping both women in a hug as Brittany sobbed out the story.

Julia shook her head. She had actually approved of Strype, but then again one of the reasons she had was because he was so serious and dependable. It sounded as if his dependability and sense of duty had simply clashed against his attraction to Brittany and had won. She wanted to be angry with them as any parent would when their daughter was left like this, but really, this seemed no one's fault. Maybe if Strype had taken Brittany along with him, then they wouldn't have drifted apart but that seemed to be only half the issue and the rest seemed pretty much insoluble. All she could do now was to hold her daughter and let her cry herself out.

Dr. Diggers was of much the same opinion, and spent the next 20 minutes slowly rubbing Brittany back consolingly. As Brittany started to regain control of herself, he said softly, "well if it wasn't meant to be it wasn't meant to be Brittany. Strype was a good man, but you cannot simply pick and choose what parts of a person's personality you wish to be with and force him to disregard the rest. His sense of duty and obligation to his people were important to him, and I think you are right, you would have been utterly miserable as a princess helping to lead a nation." He smirked a little. "Although you'll always be a princess to me."

Brittany giggled at the lame line but also nodded. "I know that dad. It's just…"

"It's just you really loved him," Julia said firmly. "This is striking you all the more because you did. Don't think you're going to get over it quickly, just remember the good times you had with him, not how bad the breakup was, and always remember your family and your friends are here for you." Brittany nodded and spent the next two hours talking to her mom, then went back over to her sister's place and joined them for the rest of the day watching sappy movies crying and eating tons of ice cream.

* * *

Ranma came through the portal Jade and found Sheila on the other side. "Hey Sheila," he said happily, "what's up?"

Sheila grinned at him. "Nothing much, in fact crime is dying down in the city for some reason. There are still a lot of bar fights and random stuff like that of course, but actual crime like thievery, murder and other things have dropped dramatically. As why I'm here, I wanted to go through and ask Brianna a question."

Ranma shook his head. "Best to wait a few days, we just got back from a trip, and she's going to be comforting Brittany for a while."

Sheila cocked her head as they walked out of the edge guards barracks, heading towards Silver Heaven, the café Nabiki and Kasumi ran. "What happened?"

Ranma shrugged, uncomfortable with a lot that had happened on the trip to Aebra, above and beyond Strype and Brittany breaking up. "I'll tell you when I tell Kasumi and Nabiki, not so interesting a story that I want to tell it more than once."

As they came closer, the café, they saw that there was a large crowd outside, and Alia was moving through it taking orders from the people waiting to get inside. "Hey Alia," he said. "Are Nabiki and Kasumi both inside?"

The svelte werelioness looked up at him, waving. "Hey Ranma, no Nabiki is meeting with the town judge, something about a new tax or something. Should have seen her face when she was leaving, she looked really angry."

Ranma nodded, whistling a little. "If someone accuses her of cheating, and doesn't have anything to back it up with she's going to roast them alive. Well, in her case I guess it would be freeze them solid and then use them as statues." Sheila and Alia laughed, and Ranma moved inside.

Inside the café it was as busy as the outside everywhere Ranma looked there were men and women from every race of Jade sitting down at the tables, sitting at the bar or leaning against the walls. There were even a few dwarves clustered together by one of the corners, and they looked up as he entered.

Kasumi to, looked up as he entered, her smile brightening even further from her normal smile to a full blown grin. She rushed over to him. "Ranma you're back! How are you, how did it go?"

That was as far as she got before Ranma picked her up and twirled her around causing her to squeal a little as he planted kisses on her face. "It went okay Kasumi, we were able to help Strypes people, but he and Brittany had some issues and they decided to break up. I'll tell you, Nabiki and Sheila all about it later tonight if you want to hear about it."

Kasumi sighed sadly. She'd wondered if that was going to happen, Brittany had not taken being left behind very well, and the fact that Strype was a prince with an obligation to his people that was more important than his own desires it did not surprise her that he would choose duty over love. "I'll be free around nine tonight, is that okay? How long are you staying for?"

Ranma shrugged. "As long as I can honestly, I think the Digger sisters are going to be busy trying to cheer Brittany up and get her over this, and I don't want to be underfoot."

Kasumi nodded then her smile changed into a smirk. "In that case, why don't you grab a pad and paper and start taking orders. We hired two people to work the kitchen to make normal Jade food, and we've installed two new, larger freezers powered by magic for everything from Earth but they still need me back there to prepare it and we're so busy right now we need all the help we can get."

Sheila, who had entered behind Ranma nodded happily. "Food from Earth is great, everyone likes it. The cereal and the frozen treats specially, though those gummy worms are my favorite though, well besides ice cream, that's their biggest draw."

Kasumi looked at her askance. "Don't tell me you already ate that whole bag of gummy treats you bought yesterday."

Sheila pouted. "I can't help it, Gar and Tirga found it and ate most of them."

Kasumi laughed and moved off, and Ranma noticed the looks he was getting from practically everyone. Apparently a lot of the guys had fallen under Kasumi's spell, though the dwarves at least didn't seem as if they had. They were watching him like a hawk, but nodded respectfully when he glanced at them. But Ranma noticed that they also always kept an eye on Kasumi and he wandered over to ask him why.

"Can I ask you guys why you're looking at my girlfriend so much, not that I think you know you're interested in her or anything, it just looks a little weird."

The dwarf who apparently was her spokesman laughed a little. "Yes, I imagine it would, but you see she's the first hearth-mistress of any other race we've ever seen, and she's one of the most powerful as well."

"Hearth-mistress, what's that?" Ranma asked.

The dwarf took several minutes to explain what that was, and Ranma nodded. "She's been like that as long as I've known her, though back where we used to live it was only her house that she could control like that, and a lot of my rivals could overcome it to attack other people in the house, though never Kasumi."

The dwarf's spokesman shook his head. "It seems her talent has grown here then," he said drolly. "Did your Edge Guard friend mention how much crime has been reduced in the city?" Ranma nodded and the dwarf went on. "That is because of her, it only takes a few tiles falling on a head or a squeak interrupting a burglary, or any of a dozen little things to make thieves and other miscreants realized that something odd is going on, and vacate the city. In fact I know of at least a few kidnappings that were attempted, but were foiled by seemingly random events. Within this city, a hearth-mistress like Kasumi can be incredibly dangerous. Not because of what she personally can do, but because of what the city will do out of love for her, because of the love that she feels for it."

Ranma smiled proudly. "That's our Kasumi." he said looking over at her with love in his eyes. It seemed as if she could feel his gaze on her for she looked over at him, blushing a little but smiling brightly at him. "A heart as big as the world."

* * *

On the other side of the city Nabiki was not having nearly as good day as her sister. "Tell me," She said coldly, "are you trying to run me out of business, or is there some other ulterior motive here that I fail to see? As far as I know it is not exactly legal to actually make laws that target a single specific business."

The judge looked at her haughtily. "Ms. Tendo, the new law is made to impact trade that traverses between Earth and Jade. The fact that this affects you is per purely incidental.

"Is that why its being added to the books now?" the younger woman asked archly. "When my company is doing good business rather than oh I don't know a few months ago, when there was no set trade other than the illegal sort, slaves and the like between the worlds? When this law might have had a good impact?"

"I don't like your tone, Ms. Tendo."

"And I don't like the fact that a supposed judge is trying to weasel her way into more money. I've read this law back to front" she said sharply, holding it up "the money taken from it isn't going directly into any funds for the city like is outlined in every other law that deals with fines, it's going into a discretionary fund that you control!"

"And before you ask," she said as the judge opened her mouth, "I have proof of that. I'd been expecting something like this from you as soon as I learned that there were people unhappy with the amount of money I was making. I didn't expect you to act on your own connivance to attack me like this, but I was prepared for an attack and I will fight this law both in the court of law and among the public."

"Well despite your claims, Ms. Tendo, this is not a personal attack." The judge replied. "This is for the good of all Jade. Our ancestors left earth for a reason, and so making certain that any traffic between Earth and Jade pay a hefty and prohibitive fine is simply good for the for all of us. And your earlier claims about slavery, the only group that did that were the dragons, and they are not covered by the laws of the rest of us."

"Interesting," answered Nabiki, eyes glitteringly like chips of brown ice, "that I don't think it is., good for all I mean. Business is booming throughout the city, more and more travelers are coming in to try the food my sister and I offer, and then going on to do business with other people in the city. That generates more money all around, and everyone prospers. Of course I shouldn't be so surprised that you haven't realized that, after all it's not as if you were born in the city."

"What do you mean by that," the judge asked, her eye narrowing behind her glasses.

"No one seems to know where you came from," Nabiki said thoughtfully, looking at her through half lidded eyes. "It's almost as if you came out of nowhere just to run for judge, with all the information and knowledge of the laws already in your head. Why no one else has recognized this fact I of course can understand, as there seem to be a good dozen people with similar stories in power in this province and around Jade. All of them have the proper paper trail but no one who knows where they actually came from, no childhood friends, no one in their hometowns who knows them, strange really, how so many people seem to be so forgettable yet are now in positions of power."

She didn't so much as glance at the sheriff who was leaning against the wall at the back of the courthouse, but the sheriff and the judge exchanged a startled glance. I wonder what would happen," Nabiki murmured, "if knowledge of that and proof of it came out."

"Are you threatening me, Ms. Tendo."

"No I'm merely stating a fact. Call this a 'you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone' sort of deal if you wish."

The judge grimaced. "I will look at the law again, if it does turn out to have been targeted directly at you, then obviously I will remove it from the books."

Nabiki nodded. "In that case I'm certain that certain information won't come to light."

"This isn't over Ms. Tendo, the people have a right to be protected from the influence of Earth here." The sheriff growled behind her.

Nabiki nodded. "I'm sure it isn't over. Just remember when you mess with an ice mage you tend to end up as an icicle." With that the self-possessed and extremely competent young woman walked out, head held high despite her worries about how this had escalated.

As soon as the courthouse door was closed Array merged her personalities scowling irritably and began to have an argument with all her personalities. "How the hell did she figure it out?!"

"No one else in Jade has trundled to the fact that we don't have any real background, just papers. She must be some kind of genius that information gathering to have gotten that much information and interviewed that many people so quickly." The sheriff replied worriedly. Her personality was the one that was the most in the public eye, and one of the most important.

"We'll have to back off." another personality, this one their bookkeeper said reluctantly. "If she could expose us like that we would lose far more than we could gain from taxing her company. Replacing even a few of our public personalities would be ruinous to our bottom line."

"For now we'll have to give up," another personality, one of the thief personalities, muttered. "But when she starts businesses elsewhere, we can try something else, maybe something more direct if she has to start sending out her goods to other towns."

Array nodded to herself quite literally in her case, and left the building to go meet with her boyfriend. He wasn't having much luck in trying to gather any new mages, as any group they hired seem to run into issues and the city. There were few mages that lived outside of the city in this province, and Tirant didn't want to venture far away from their initial base of operations to try his luck in another city.

It appeared as if something was happening to jinx their operations in Seer's Hamlet, and this was what Tirant might be forced eventually to move his operations elsewhere. Some of the things occurring were just too bizarre to be believed. A thief killed when he snuck through kitchen and a knife fell from a cupboard above him and fell hard enough to kill him? Another one knocked out outside his targets house by a piece of tiling falling on his head? And then there were the three kidnappers that had been captured and she had been forced to allow the Edge Guards to put into jail. They had been caught red-handed with their prize as they tried to exit the city. Their excuse, that they had to go around several roads that had been blocked off for one reason and then the cobbles started tripping them up constantly, forcing them to turn around and walk right in front of the Edge Guard barracks. The mage they had kidnapped had testified that they had attacked her in her own home, and thus the sheriff's hands were tied.

Moving to a new town was frankly the only solution unless they could figure out what the heck was going on.

* * *

Nabiki came home and was happy to see Ranma there. After he told them about what had happened on Aerba she told him about how someone seemed to be targeting their business. Ranma commiserated, but he had no skills for espionage or court battles, so that was all he could do. He did however take her out on a date that night. They found a few bargains in the magical item sections, despite how leery Ranma was of the very idea, and then he took her back home and made a meal for the three of them. After that the trio sat on the couch sharing a bit of the local wine, and exchanging heated kisses.

Nabiki took one of Ranma's hands and placed it inside her pants firmly, outside her panties but directly over her sex. Ranma looked at her in surprise ut when she nodded her began to move his fingers and she started to moan. Ranma looked over at Kasumi to see if she was comfortable with this and she smiled, nodded and leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips, then sat back and watched the two of them touching herself occasionally as she did. All in all the three of them had a fantastic evening despite not getting that much sleep, and Nabiki would wake up the next morning with her good humor restored and all her tension gone, ready to face whatever came her way.

* * *

Brittany wasn't sleeping that well that night either for entirely different reasons. For one the amount of chocolate she had eaten was keeping her up, and then there was her memories of Strype keeping her up. Her sisters had gone to bed after she had convinced him that she didn't need them all to pile into her room for a pajama party.

She sighed and turned over trying to find a comfortable enough position to let her sleep despite her dreams and chocolate. About 30 minutes later however a voice interrupted her attempted sleep at the same time she felt something touch her chest. The voice was feminine and tone demanding and haughty, reminding her of some of the trouble that she and Strype had in their relationship before Strype left for Aebra. "All right bitch, where the hell is Strype?"

Brittany cracked one bloodshot eye open to stare at the very tiny person stepping onto her chest. "Tanya" she muttered. "What the heck are you doing here, aren't you trapped in a cage at the werewolves place?"

Tanya smirked at her. "I released myself on my own recognizance, now answer the damn question. I did a spell to locate him and I didn't get any return from it! That could only happen if he's in another dimension or dead! If you've gotten him killed in one of your adventures I'm going to roast your soul here and now."

Brittany groaned and let her head fall back onto the pillow. "He's gone," she muttered, "off with his people on your home planet of Aebra."

Tanya gaped at her. "What the hell do you mean by that? What the hell happened?"

"He received some kind of distress call, and he took your ship, colony ship city thing whatever its called, and went to help them. We just got back from going after them, and he decided to stay there."

Tanya leaned back using Brittany's breast using it as a backrest looking at her in surprise and growing eagerness. "So you two broke up?"

"If you have to rub it in yeah." Brittany growled. "But what I'm wondering right now is if I can squish you before you can get a spell out."

Tanya shook her head. "If you two are together, I don't have any beef with you. I'll just have to figure out a way to get there myself. After all he will need a queen to rule beside him."

Brittany smirked at her. "He already has one lined up, that was part of the problem. Her name is Archon, and apparently she's the high priestess of their planet, and they had a lot of chemistry going on." She was surprised actually, rubbing this into Tanya's face was actually kind of helping her get over it herself, weird.

Tanya blinked in surprise. "So it wasn't you and your big tits luring him in, he's just a playboy when he gets the chance? Well whatever, I'm sure I can figure something out anyway."

In Brittany's mind she said to herself,_ right he's going to overlook the fact that you know, you're a bit of a bloodthirsty bitch, well whatever, not my problem anymore. _ The thought was a little vindictive, but therapeutic at the same time.

"Tell me how did you get there, and you think I can go the same way?" Tanya asked.

Brittany looked at Tanya, eyes narrowing. "Since when are we friends bitch, you tried to kill me, hell you set a werewolf on me, for gods sake, you set two of them on me! But if you really want to go after him be my guest. Go over to Penny Pincher's place ask her what you need to do to get her to build you a ship. But you might want to look into, you know, getting your normal size back first."

Tanya scowled. She had been unable to reverse the shrinking spell on her as Dr. Diggers had locked it using his own magical signal. The odds of her finding the correct code to actually overcome this were astronomical, that didn't mean she wasn't continually trying anyway. Still she didn't have any reason to stay here and without another word she hopped off Brittany and made her way out the window and bent down onto the grounds, wondering how the hell she was going to find where this Penny lived. But then she looked up sharply as a noise alerted her that something else is nearby.

A dozen small objects were rolling on little wheels across the lawn towards her. One of them shown a little flashlight at her and then in a tinny voice announced "look there boys there's a fox yonder, its hunting time!" The others chorused "Yaaaayyyy!" and they all sped towards her.

Tanya wondered what the hell they were, then she remembered that the Digger sisters were as well known for bizarre high tech weapons as much as big tits. She gulped, then turned and ran as fast as her tiny legs could take her. The peebos ten of Brianna's prototypes, sans most of their weapons and bombs, chased after her tooting as if to imitate hunting horns gleefully.

* * *

*CLANG*! *CLANG*!

In the middle of the night, in a gutted factory on the outskirts of New York City, what looked like a fight was taking place with real blades being used by all participants. *CLANG*! Already two bloodied forms were down, lying in rapidly growing pools of their own blood. *KLANK*!

There were two warriors still fighting, the one who seemed to be winning a tall, muscular Japanese man wearing silk pants and a muscle t-shirt and using a long katana. The man seemed to be in perfect condition, with no visible injuries and breathing easily, slow and unhurried.

The other warrior, the one who was most definitely losing, was a short blonde-furred female wererat, as denoted by her long tail and buck teeth, trying to fight back with a short ko-dachi which lacked the range and weight of her opponent's sword. The wererat, in stark contrast to her opponent, had many deep wounds all over her body, some of which were obviously from strikes that would have been fatal to a normal human. But still, she held her ground as best she could, pride and ego keeping her on her feet far beyond where prudence and her bodies injuries should have allowed.

*CLANG*! "TOO SLOW!" The man yelled. "Add strength to your quick extensions. Watch my feet for stance shifts. PAY ATTENTION!" *KLACK-VRING*!

The blonde-furred wererat was pushed back by the sudden parry barely getting her sword up to block and fell on her butt. Looking at her sword she saw it had lost half its length sliced through by the sword of her opponent. The man brought his sword down to the rest position then said in a condescending drawl, "Nice block."

The blonde-furred wererat growled as she glared at the man. "ZERO! You almost $# %in' sliced me in %$# HALF!"

The man identified as Zero merely smirked at the wererat's howling and rather course language. "But I did not, Lydia. Which means you pass... for now..."

Ignoring his groaning and half-dead 'students' all about, Zero walked over to a bench where the rest of his clothing and other items were. "That concludes out lesson for tonight, you three." Zero re-sheathed his katana. "Tell your elders I will be expecting my cash payment of one hundred thousand into my account by the usual hour."

Watching to make sure his students were still able to move, Zero put on his leather coat and hat. "I will admit you three are among the most _unique_ pupils I have ever instructed. Before meeting you, I didn't even know wererats existed. And your healing abilities make my task much easier..." He allowed a smirk to appear on his face. "It isn't often I have a student who heals fast enough for me to nearly kill him or her more than once a day, in fact I've only ever had one other student that was good enough to make me work this hard." He walked off whistling in high good humor.

Back in the basketball court, a blue-furred slightly built male wererat, who had so many cuts on his front it looked as if he had been viciously whipped, pushed himself to his knees. The slash across his throat had healed enough so that he could use his vocal cords again, and thus he could voice his complaints, one of his favorite pastimes. "**Once**! Oh, just **once** I'd like to leave with less than sixty-two **fatal wounds**!" He cried hysterically. "Must the three of us eternally live in **agony**!?"

"That's enough #$%in' drama Romeo!" Lydia snarled. "You are of the warrior caste! SO JUST #$%IN' SUCK IT UP LIKE MOISHA AND ME!" Looking over her shoulder at the violet-furred wererat, Lydia asked in a slightly less caustic tone, "Right, Moisha?"

Moisha, a short, extremely busty, violet haired girl twirled her own blade, a short straight back and thick bladed dirk between the fingers of one hand as she smoothed back her hair with the other. "Lydia? Girlfriend? Like, I gotta tell ya Romeo's got a point. This whole cycle ah never ending beat-downs, y'know... it, like, totally sucks."

Lydia glared at Moisha. "Don't you #$%in' start, Moisha. I'm not in the mood!"

Moisha just shrugged her shoulders. "Like, whatevaaah... Let's get sum food, 'kay? Starving." Not that she was looking forward to the Zero mandated, Elder approved, balanced meal but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"NO!" Lydia yelled out. "Get the van! We've been training for long enough!"

"That is not what the Elders seem to think." Romeo pointed out looking around warily. The problem with being a wererat assassin was that you **knew** for a fact there could always be someone listening. And those in power were very swift to punish anyone questioning their commands.

"I don't #$%in' care what they think!" Lydia said in a commanding tone, uncaring of any hidden ears. "We're ready now!" Romeo and Moisha looked at each other, then shrugged. It wasn't like they had anything better to do. And it was better to hang together than separately.

* * *

A few days later Ranma made an early morning run back to Earth to see how the girls were doing, cursing at the fact it had been raining in Jade, and she had forgotten to bring her bottle of water in her weapons space when he left.

Exiting lab 1 she was immediately accosted by Gina for a fate worse than death. "Ranma good timing, Cheetah wants to go shopping and I'm busy here and Brianna is hunting a few of her peebo's that went missing last night, but someone needs to go with her to make sure she doesn't spend too much." With the money rolling in from Nabiki's business they had enough to go shopping with, but Gina knew her sister, and she was fully capable of buying the whole mall. _And speaking of Nabiki's business, who knew that gems from Jade were of such high quality?_ The rubies were of the kind called blood rubies and were bringing in a lot of money, which coupled with their free energy meant they were making money hand over fist. Gina was ecstatic, for the first time her next adventure wouldn't have to pay for itself it would be archeology just for the sake of learning something.

Ranma gulped. "I-Isn't there some kind of adventure you want me to go on instead, or how about I hunt those Peebo's, then Brianna could go shopping, hell even if they exploded on me it'd be better than shopping."

Brittany came down the hallway smirking at him evilly. "You haven't been shopping with me at Ranma, trust me I'm an expert at it."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he said in a deadpan tone and sighed. "Fine, just let me go get changed, and I'll join you out front."

Brittany shook her head. "Oh no, we're not going shopping there in your male form, this is for your female form. We noticed that you don't have any girl clothing, and we want to rectify that."

Ranma growled at her. "You do know that if I dress up as a girl, chances are I'll be splashed by hot water right, I mean it has happened more often than not."

Brittany nodded, but disagreed. "Yeah, but you're supposed to be our bodyguard. And sometimes we go to high-end parties and sometimes they're girls only. We also sometimes go on underwater digs too."

Ranma growled again but nodded and after changing into some dry clothes he followed Brittany out to the family car.

* * *

His trepidation increased dramatically when they arrived at the mall and every single manager came out to greet Brittany by name. The fact she knew them all by their first names and the fact he heard someone shouting about being able to buy all his employees Porches did not help.

For the next six or seven hours Brittany kept on pulling the redhead into every store they came across, trying to find the perfect dress, the perfect outfit the perfect swimsuit, the perfect bra for both of them. This was torture in more ways than one. She/he had known that Brittany was about the only girl outside of Sheila and his/her present girlfriends who got under his skin, and seeing her trying on different outfits, many of which were skimpy and rather indecent in his opinion. The girl also insisted on fitting herfemale form out personally running her hands over her body, which the redhead found was much more sensitive in many ways than his male body.

Ranma drew the line at panties though. "Do you know how painful that is if I transform into a guy and him wearing those things? I'd be crippled!"

Brittany sighed and nodded acquiescence, but she was a little surprised. Despite his hate of trying on clothing for himself, Ranma had impressed her by being a good judge of color and dress. His own tastes tended towards the earthy colors as well as the tomboy set, but when she realized that Brittany didn't like that so much she was able to tell what was good and what wasn't for her. Brittany was now the proud owner of seventeen new dresses, all of which she knew looked magnificent on her. Often she would have to return her dresses after only a few days, after she realized that they didn't really flatter her or look as good on her as they had in the store, but these she was certain she wouldn't be returning.

At around four they broke for lunch at the mall's food court. Ranma collapsed wearily into a chair while Brittany went off to order their food, grateful that Ranma had brought back a few bags of holding from Jade. She hadn't quite perfected the weapons space technique just yet and Ranma had refused to carry her clothing in his. He had simply said that something would happen if he carried such embarrassing things on him, and after remembering the chaos effect he had on everything around him at times, she had agreed. The bag of holding was a great alternative, which meant she could shop for the entire day and not need to worry about transporting her prey back home.

Brittany sat down with a tray of food chirping happily, "Well that was a great first half of the day! Get a lot of fluids in you Ranma, because we're going to be here all day, I don't want you collapsing on me later."

Ranma sighed heavily. "Look Brittany, I know this is fun for you, but it isn't really fun for me. I've got more than enough clothing here to last me for months, I don't really need any more."

Brittany sighed and nodded. "I know it's just this is one of, you know my coping mechanisms, after what happened with Strype I really needed some TLC."

Ranma nodded, looking off into the distance remembering his own nightmares about what happened on Aebra. "You're not the only one who's been thinking about what happened."

Brittany looked at him a little askance and then her eyes widened in realization. "You're bothered by what you had to do with the dynasty aren't you, that fight you, my sister and the leprechauns started?"

Ranma nodded heavily. "I'm not a killer Brit I wasn't trained to do that. All my life I was told to do the exact opposite, protect life as much as possible. Taking that many lives at once, I've never had to do that before." Brianna too had been having problems, though not as much, but she had her father and mother to go to, whereas Ranma didn't really have anyone to talk to. He didn't really want to impose on the older Diggers, feeling that he had imposed on them enough just by living with their family.

Brittany sighed, reaching across and grabbing one of his hands, squeezing it reassuringly. "I know how that feels, Gina and I have always tried to go out of her way not to kill anyone on our adventures, even when we run into militias on our digs in foreign countries that want to do horrible things to us." She grimaced remembering the looks on some of the soldiers from the dig they had been on when they first met Genn.

"I think it says something about you that you it has bothered you so much, I don't think my sister would like anyone who could kill without it bothering him. And it makes me feel better about you too. You don't have to be a cold-blooded killer Ranma that's not who you are and we don't want to change that. Just do what you have to, no more, no less, and that'll be enough for us and for you too."

Ranma nodded, gripping her hand in appreciation while he tapped his head with his other hand. "I know that up here, I knew it at the time, the dynasty had to die. It's just my heart is having a harder time getting over it now that I have some time to second guess myself."

Brittany sighed. "Look I can keep shopping on my own if you want to have a few hours to yourself. Look around for something to do around here, just go running and clear your head, that's fine. Just know that you can talk to us about these things you know?"

Ranma nodded happily and said "thanks Brit, nice to know that you care."

Brittany blushed a little then smacked his shoulder. "Course we care you big goof, now get out here. I've got more sales to hunt down."

At Ranma smirked. "You hunt them with credit a card, I'd hunt them with a gun or a sword or something." Ranma laughed at her expression and then he moved off. Brittany shook her head fondly and then went back to eating, wondering which stores she should hit up next.

* * *

Brianna had taken the portal to Jade talk to Sheila about her experience fighting the dynasty, and had found the other girl to be extremely helpful in helping her get over it. Sheila was actually more helpful than her parents, one of whom was not a warrior in any sense of the word. Dr. Diggers would not take a life unless it was absolutely, positively the only way to protect someone else and would not have attacked the dynasty like she and Ranma had. Julia on the other hand, had been born into a warrior culture, and saw no problem with killing people in battle. Sheila was somewhere in the middle, having lived in a warrior culture, but not having become anesthetized to death like Julia.

Sheila on the other hand loved hearing about the adventure in space from Brianna's point of view. "You're so lucky," she sighed. "Adventures like that with your friends are great. We Edge Guard have had a lot of adventures of our own, but most of the time it's just work. Hunt down the brigands, hunt down the thieves, patrol this, and guard that. We actually went on more adventures when we were training then we do now that we're fully fledged Edge Guard."

Brianna looked up from her work on her weapons, which had given her hands something to do while she was talking. Brianna had **not** been happy with relying on her crossbow alone last time she got into a fight in Jade, nor did she want to really get on the wrong side of the law, so she was busy putting marks and mystical symbols, well they looked like it anyway, on all of her weapons. That way she could use them without getting into trouble in Jade. "That sound like a lot of fun to me, but I guess it could get boring over time, though the same can be said for my sister always going on about knowledge being more important than having fun or getting into fights." An idea occurred to her and she smirked a little at Sheila, "Why don't we switch places?"

Sheila looked at her in surprise "switch places what do you mean?"

You, said you want to see Earth, and you've gotten into a bit of a rut here. I want to get to know Jade, and I want to stay with the Tendo's for a bit, but GIna already told me that she's got an archaeology dig set up in the next week or so. Apparently she was able to get some readings as we were coming in from orbit that has told her where a city she's been looking for a while is. I'm not really interested in archaeology for its own sake, so why don't we switch? I get to know Jade, I get to stay with the Tendo's and have fun with your friends, while you go on some adventures with my sisters and Ranma."

Sheila blushed a little at the mention of Ranma, she still haven't figured out if she was really interested in him or not just yet, but she was attracted to him. "That sounds like a lot of fun actually, you think they'd be all right with that?"

"I don't think any of them will mind on my end." Brianna said happily. Gina's always looking for other people to show off her smarts to, Ranma likes you and Brittany likes you so I don't see any problem."

Sheila nodded happily. Great I'll talk with Onoli and ask him if we can switch like that, and if he doesn't object then we're golden. Though I'll warn you, Tirga will flirt with you no matter what, he won't be able to stop himself, its like a sickness with him."

Brianna nodded and stood up. "Come on, let's go talk to him now, and then head over to the Tendo's and As for Tirga a bit of flirting is okay so long as he follows the look but don't touch rule, if he doesn't I'll use some of my babies on him."

* * *

Shampoo nodded at the sister hiding above her in the limbs of a tree ad she raised her horn, blowing the attack. Shampoo and a dozen other sisters roared out of their hiding places charging the group of trolls that had wandered into the Amazon territory. They had attacked a farmstead a few days ago, and the Amazons were not ones to ask the rangers or anyone else to do their dirty work for them, hence a hunting party had been sent to wipe the trolls out.

Finding the trolls had been tough because of three days straight of rain that washed out their trail, supposedly some weather wizard had made a mistake and several nations and the outer lands had been swamped with it. Shampoo didn't know if that was really the case but if it was and she ever met the man (it had to be a man to cock up that badly) she was going to slap him, and she didn't know if she would ever stop. Because of the rain the trolls had almost escaped Amazon territory before her troop found them.

Shampoo dodged a club, wincing as one of her sisters didn't but plunging her spear into the troll's side with Amiguriken speed dozens of times before it could set itself. The spear didn't sink into its hide very far, but every time she ripped it back our causing the wounds to enlarge and then thrust it into the things face, destroying one of its eyes. A wild grab knocked her spear out of her hands, but she leaped back, reaching into her weapons space and bringing out her bonbori, slamming them into the sides of the beasts head as fast as she could, crushing its skull. She then leaped on the back of another about to finish off her downed sister, bringing her bonbori done onto its head with as much speed as she could muster. The thing's head collapsed under the blows, and she leaped away, letting it fall to the dirt while she guarded her sister until she could get back on her feet.

A moment later the last troll, the biggest and therefore the leader of the pack charged her with a howl or fury and despair, bleeding from several wounds caused by her warrior sisters. She threw her bonbori, and they collided with its chest sending it backward and she brought out her Fu Tao, slicing into the beast in a massive x shape. The best paused for just a moment at the pain, and then one of her sisters ran it through from behind. As the thing gurgled and fell Tsun-Tsun, the battle sister with the spear smirked at her. "That was just showing off Sham, the whole thing with switching weapons from your weapons space when you know we can't do it."

Shampoo laughed. Most of the Jade sisters used the Japanese mangled form of her name because of her long flowing purple hair, but Tsun-Tsun didn't after she told her what her name would mean on that idiotic little island. "You won't be complaining in a bit Tsun when I use my weapons space to carry the heads of our prey here."

All the surrounding amazons laughed and agreed. The hunt had been a complete success, all of the trolls were accounted for, and the only wounds were a few scraps and bruises, the worst was a broken forearm and one sister with a concussion.

As the Amazons went around cutting off the heads of the trolls a voice from the woods behind them interrupted them, causing all of the Amazons to turn in shock. A massive woman with iron hard hair done in a tight bun on top of the head, leather armor and a massive broadsword on her back that looked as if it would take any two of them to lift. "We barbarians usually just cut off the ears, much lighter that way, and you don't get that irritating staring feeling."

Yu-ri, the oldest of the amazons (the only one over twenty-five) gasped. "Weaponsmaster Brigand! What are you doing here?" the others all relaxed but still stared at the woman in awe. Weaponsmasters were rare, but meeting one of the Ten, the ten best weaponmasters in Jade, was something that happened even more rarely.

"Passing through to talk to your elders actually, I have business with them. I was hunting a wild bear myself, I need a new rug for my living room, when I heard you all moving through the woods and decided to see what you were doing."

Yu-ri gulped, wondering how close exactly they were to the border between the Amazon nation and the Barbarian. "I-I see, well, would you like to travel with us? We are going back to Matriarchy now." Matriarchy was the name of the capital 'city' of the Amazons, never let it be said that the amazons were unimaginative….

"That would be nice dear. I can get to know some of your younger charges here." She glanced sharply over at Shampoo. "I notice you don't seem to use the same style as your fellow warriors dear, care to explain why?"

Shampoo gulped at being singled out by the massive warrior, who honestly looked like she could break Ryoga in half without even trying. "H-hai, I come from Earth, uh China in the mountains."

"Ah yes, well, walk with me and tell me all about it. Do you like it in jade?"

That was the right question apparently and the purple haired girl began to jabber on about how much fun she had been having in Jade with her new sisters and the hunts they had gone on and how different they were, emphasizing strength over speed or agility, but that they alos incorporated more kicks and were all dangerous either unarmed or with weapons in their hands. On earth most of her sisters tended to specialize far more.

Brunhildgarde listened and watched the young girl intently, and she was amused and saddened by what she saw. This young girl was among the best fighters of her age she'd ever seen, she would even place her against her daughter Julia's student Gar. Yet the choices the young girl had made showed little to know knowledge of the world or the people outside her own people.

It was as they stopped for the night in a campsite that she started to ask the important questions she needed answers to. "So what are you actually doing here in Jade Sham dear?"

Shampoo blinked, as if the question hadn't been in her mind for a while. "Um, well, I was here to ask for help in hunting down my Airen, er, my husband or well… he's supposed to be but…" the whole story then came out from her perspective, and Brunhildgarde listened, then leaned back satisfied. Shampoo emphasized the fights, the trials, the adventures, but not the emotion or the romance. Her feelings for Ranma were never mentioned even once. She mentioned her rivals, but only in terms of their martial prowess, and then in scathing tones. This, plus what she had heard from Do Jin let her put the whole picture together. There might have been interest there toward Ranma, but it was purely physical, not emotional. _I wonder if she had simply asked for a role in the hay what would have happened?_ She leaned forward, trying and succeeding in creating a air of companionship and camaraderie. "So tell me, just between us women, did you really spend that much time chasing Ranma or was that just an excuse to get away from your village?"

Shampoo winced, then laughed. "A lot of that yes Weaponsmaster, it was always so boring in my village, no one was really near my level in my age group and our territory was so small and the Elders were everywhere, you couldn't get away from them and the scratchy irritating voices always point out your faults or saying things like 'in my day' whatever! Hah, I know that Airen, that Ranma was better than even my great grandmother the last time I saw him." Her face scrunched up for a moment. "I wonder where she's got to, I haven't seen her in a while." Brunhildgarde chuckled nervously but after a moment Shampoo shrugged. "Oh well, I'm sure she'll show up eventually."

Brunhildgarde sighed in relief as Shampoo went on. "I only ever used hokey magic stuff because I thought it was funny, I didn't think any of them would actually work, and if they did, well Ranma was very handsome and a few days romping around would have been nice, and it would have been better for him to be with me than with the kitchen destroying bitch or the spatula wielding girl. I mean honestly, who wields a spatula? That's like throwing a shoe." The older woman laughed and changed the topic, waving over a few of the others to join them. Yes this girl was a diamond in the rough, and if she could figure out how to hammer some knowledge of the world into her head, she could become a true asset to her nation, and maybe to Jade as a whole.

* * *

At the same time that Ranma left Brittany in the food court the wererats were sneaking around the storage entrance to the very same mall.

When they ran away from their training they neglected to think of funds food or housing. Housing was solved by breaking into empty houses or motel rooms. If push came to shove they could even sleep in their rodent forms, though that was a last resort. Food could have been handled that way as well, but none of the three were willing to eat garbage just yet. And as for money, let us just say that all three were eager to try the finer things in life that their trainers had not allowed them.

Lydia, the one in charge of this little expedition growled out orders to Romeo and Moisha. She wore tight jeans and a Metallica t-shirt, and as long as she kept her mouth closed no one would be able to tell she was anything but a normal college age girl. "Alright, I'm gonna go in and pick some pockets. You two stay here and see if you can pick up some food, and for #$%'s sake, stay out of sight!"

Moisha pouted. "I, like, still don't see why you're the one goin' in, y'know."

Romeo nodded as well. "I agree with our violet furred companion. We could cover more area if we all cased the mall rather than you alone."

Lydia grabbed her hair irritably. "I told you, Moisha can't go 'cus her &#$&ing tits are too huge! If she steals something the $%&#ing mark will remember her. And you are too $%^&ing perverted to get away with anythin' without causing a damn scene! I'm the most normal looking one of us, and the easiest to miss in a crowd." She scowled, cracking her knuckles dangerously. "Now, either of you whining #$%# 's have any more questions!?"

Both her friends shook their heads and she snorted, turned and walked away around the edge of the receiving area. Moisha and Romeo looked at one another, sighed then started looking around.

An hour later, Moisha and Romeo were hiding by the receiving area of the food court, sitting and smelling the food longingly. Money and fun was all well and good, but the wererats had not been able to eat their fill for months, ever since Zero began training them.

"Like this, y'know, sucks!" whispered the valley rat Moisha. "Why do we have to sit here, and like be tortured like this?"

Romeo nodded sadly. "I agree with you my dear, but what can we do? "Twood take a plan most puissant to get us in and out of there. And alas, my brain has ceased to function due to lack of food."

The two were interrupted in their misery by a drawling female voice coming from behind them.

* * *

No sooner had Ranma left Brittany to look for something interesting than she'd found it when she stopped on top of the mall's roof and spied two skulking figures down below. At first she thought they may've been there to ambush someone, and with his/her luck it would be him or Cheetah, but when the girl's stomach rumbled so loudly he could hear it up from where he was up on the roof, he knew something else was going on. Ranma was intrigued and jumped down to talk to them, landing silently behind them. She spoke out, startling both of them. "Eh, so you two're lookin' for food **here**? That's dumb."

The male, the one whose voice reminded Ranma way too much of Kuno, stood up swiftly and swung round bringing one hand up to grab and another over in a sideways chop.

Moisha turned, but unlike Romeo simply looked at who had snuck up on them. The voice hadn't sounded threatening after all. When she did Moisha saw a short redheaded Asian girl. She had the deepest blue eyes Moisha had ever seen and her figure was fantastic with a bust almost on par with her own.

The stranger had come within a few feet of them without either wererat hearing her, an amazing feat. Unfortunately for the stranger, she had stepped just a little too close. Moisha groaned as she realized that Romeo had grabbed one of the redhead's breasts in his hand and actually tried to smack her hip with his free hand.

For a moment Ranma just stood there, eyes dilating in shock. Romeo gulped, but couldn't tear his eyes away from the bounty his hand had come into contact with.

Ranma calmly caught the man's other hand and gently removed his left from her chest. Moisha decided at this point she had to stand up for her friend and spoke up. "Um, could ya, like, just not, like, kill him 'kay? Romeo's kinda, like, a friend despite his, y'know pervyness."

Ranma didn't even acknowledge the girls words, still staring into Romeo's eyes. "Embrace death" she said, in a calm, almost kindly voice. As she stopped speaking her knee flashed out, catching Romeo right in the fork, lifting the wererat into the air with an explosion of air and a high pitched squeal of agony. Ranma's hands shot forward, moving so fast they seemed to be a blur, only this blur was accompanied by inhuman screams of agony from her victim. When she finally stopped Romeo dropped back to the ground, his arms and legs bent, twisted and mutilated into a tight pretzel shape. Only someone made out of rubber should've been able to be so twisted. On the other hand, Romeo's chest was still moving, so despite the fact his face looked like someone used it as a punching bag and his body's forced impression of a pretzel he was still alive.

Ranma breathed in deeply trying to calm herself, and Moisha tore her eyes away from her friends tortured body to stare at the redhead who had done it. She hadn't thought the short human girl would have been able to do something like that to the wererat. Obviously besides her stealth skills she had a lot more strength than it appeared in that tight little body.

Ranma looked at the big-chested girl, almost blushing as she realized how the body suit molded itself to her body, emphasizing her curves. "So what's your deal huh, ninjas on the run from their master or somethin'? I'm Ranma by the way."

Moisha blinked at that strange explanation but decided to go with it; it was close to the truth after all. "Er, like, somethin' like that. I'm Moisha and this is, like Romeo."

"And you've never learned how to live off the land or anything?" Moisha shook her head. She knew how to pickpocket, steal and sneak with the best of them, and she had been learning how to assassinate, but cooking for herself, scrounging or hunting were things she had never had to do before. She was a mall rat, a fun loving party girl, not a street rat or a wanderer.

"Huh." Ranma looked at her then shrugged. "well, if you want, I can teach ya some stuff."

"Like what?" Moisha asked then brought her hands forward reflexively, catching the round thing the redhead threw at her. She looked at it, and found it was a bright red apple.

Moisha immediately brought it to her lips, biting into it hungrily as Ranma answered her. "Well, fer one thing I can teach ya where to get some actual food Pinky."

Moisha stopped chewing on the apple, licking her lips and large buck teeth free of the juices as she scowled at the other girl. "Like, my hair isn't pink, it's violet, get it right Red!"

Ranma grinned at her. "Whatever **Pinky**. So you want to learn or what? I'll even toss in the dreaded mooch fu. I know what it's like to be starving all too well." Ranma had a soft spot for runaways, and he didn't think stealing food or even cloths was wrong so long as you really needed it and the other person didn't. In that alone he/she was still Genma's son.

"Like, okay." Moisha said happily. _Anything's better than waiting here for Lyd's and smelling all that food!_ She went over and was about to try to untangle Romeo but Ranma quickly shook her head. "No way. The offers just for you Moisha. Not that pervert." She went on muttering in a lower voice, but Moisha still heard her. "Damn bastard sounded and acted like Kuno freaking pervert."

Moisha would've argued, but her stomach, not appeased by this meager offering, made itself known again in a loud gurgling roar. She blushed embarrassed and nodded moving away from Romeo. "So like, where to?"

Ranma pointed up and from a standing position jumped three stories to the roof of the mall. "Follow me Pinky, and I'll introduce you to the wonderful world of super markets." Moisha stood looking up in awe for a minute before she shook her head and, using her wererat given skill, clambered up the sheer wall after her strange new acquaintance.

Two hours after the two busty girls had left Romeo was still there, still tied into a pretzel when Lydia at last came back. She was whistling happily, carrying two bags of clothes and finishing off a latte. Pickings had been almost ridiculously easy, and she had a lot of fun on her first ever all expenses paid mall trip. There had been an odd smell in the air, almost like a cat's, but she hand't seen whatever was causing it and had simply ignored it (In actuality by luck or happenstance she was never in the same sotre as Brittany, their tastes were too different and neither had run into the other outside the shops either).

Her mood soured immediately when she saw Romeo lying on the ground looking like someone had tried to make him into a piece of modern art. She looked around quickly but saw no sign of Moisha.

Scowling the foulmouthed leader of the newly named (as soon as she could convince the other two of the name) Mallrats strode forward and angrily smacked her male teammate on the back of the head. "Wake up you *&# %$! What the *&^% happened to you?"

Romeo woke up from his pain induced coma and immediately started weeping. "Oh my god my body can't bend this way, why is it bending this way? Sweet mother of pizza this hurts more than training with Zero!"

Lydia sighed, realizing she wasn't going to be getting anything coherent out of the pretzelized wererat until she got him un-spindled. She looked at him for a few moments then grabbed his leg and tried to pull it out of the pile. When he began to scream she gagged him and grimly kept working.

Moisha continued to follow Ranma for twenty minutes, jumping from one roof to another until the red head stopped on top of an Acme store. She did this so suddenly that Moisha, who had been pushing herself hard to keep up, smacked into her back. Moisha's arms splayed forward as they both fought for balance. They fell backward onto the rooftop, Moisha under Ranma, her hands resting on the other girl's breasts, her own breasts pushed flat by Ranma's back. "Like, sorry? Why'd you like, stop though?"

Ranma squirmed a little, trying to untangle her legs from Moisha's. "Um no problem, at least you're a girl and not a perv. And I stopped because this is where we were going."

Behind Ranma's back Moisha grinned suddenly. "Like, really? So you, like don't mind if I do this" and she started to massage the other girls breasts, "'cause I'm a girl?"

"Ack!" Ranma immediately tried to move away. "No I mean, yes I mean I like … but I"

Moisha giggled waving her now free hands in a peace sign. "I didn't, like mean anythin' Red. I just, wanted ta tease ya that's all."

Ranma calmed down and began to smile back. "Alright you got me pretty good there Pinky." She grabbed the other girl's outstretched hands, pulling her to her feet easily. Then she turned, moving to the edge of the roof, missing the speculative look that Moisha shot her way.

One of the things Moisha learned early in life was that she was attracted to both genders. As she grew up, this lack of preference strengthened. She regularly flirted and tried to initiate sex with Lydia and Romeo, but while Romeo was more than willing to sleep with just her, he wasn't interesting (or energetic) enough to keep her excited. Lydia could have been, but she flatly refused to go the full lesbian road, no matter how often Moisha tried to persuade her. She had even gotten Lydia drunk, and she still refused to sleep with her violet haired teammate unless Romeo was involved and even then not often.

Not that Moisha was desperate or a slut, she wouldn't sleep with just anyone and she wanted to be in a stable long term relationship, which was why she hadn't looked elsewhere since being paired with Romeo and Lydia for their advanced training. But a little harmless flirting with her new friend wouldn't hurt.

Ranma pointed down over the roof's edge, waving Moisha over to stand beside her. "Okay Pinky first lesson. Stealing money gets you in trouble with the law, no matter what country you're in." Moisha shook off her thoughts and looked where Ranma was pointing. She saw the back door and loading entrance to the Acme and she looked back up at Ran+ma's as she continued. "Stealing food ain't gonna get ya into trouble nearly as much, is easier, and can give ya somethin' that'll last longer than cash. Super markets like this can't shelve anything that looks damaged. Stuff like a cereal box with a bruised lid, or juice cartons with a dent in 'em, even bread sometimes all get pulled. So they usually store that stuff in the back."

Moisha nodded. "But like, how're we supposed to, y'know, get inside? They've gotta have, like a security camera or somethin'."

Ranma shook his head. "Most places are supposed to, but the workers disable them. Check it out." Moisha looked down and saw someone coming out of the back door. A moment later the man lit up a cigarette and leaned against the wall. Ranma moved close, whispering into Moisha's ear.

The wererat girl shivered as the redhead's breath hit her sensitive ears. "See, the workers come out here ta smoke up, but they don't want their bosses to know how much time they take or anythin' so they disable the cameras, and sometimes even the alarm on the door."

Ranma moved off swiftly as the man turned and went back into the building. Moisha shook herself and followed. Ranma had caught the door just as it was about to close using one of his toes. He swiftly opened it, looked around, and ducked inside, motioning Moisha to follow.

Moisha did so and saw at once the crates of damaged goods. Cereal boxes, canned goods, drink cartons and bottles were there in abundance. "Okay, but like, how're we supposed to get this stuff, like, out of here?"

Ranma smirked and held up her hands palm outward. She went through the motions a magician would, showing nothing up her sleeves as Moisha watched. Suddenly, faster than the wererat's eyes could follow, Ranma was holding a large leather satchel. "Bag of Holding, don't leave Jade without it. Got two love three for the price one sales."

Moisha didn't get the reference bus she still grinned and began to grab things from the crates, concentrating on the cereals, drinks and other things she knew that she and her two friends liked.

After about ten minutes they heard someone coming into the storage area and decided to call it a day. With Moisha leading, the two escaped out the door, leaving before anyone could see them.

Next Ranma led Moisha to a K-mart, and again the two had little problem getting in and out from the back way. Here though they didn't steal everything they could get their hands on. Ranma allowed Moisha to grab one set of clothes for everyday wear for herself, and stopped her when she tried to grab more. "The more you steal the more the companies liable to notice and start comparin' notes with others in the area, which means more heat on you. You just want one set to go on with." Moisha looked about to protest but Ranma went on, pulling the busty ninja girl out of the stores receiving area. "Besides, the less you steal the smaller the trail you leave behind, that makes it far harder fer yer master ta find ya." Moisha stopped struggling at that point and the two left, putting some distance between themselves and the scenes of their crimes.

The two alighted on an apartment rooftop, where they stopped to let Moisha get changed. Immediately the busty were-rat stripped off her top, not giving her companion time to get away. Ranma squawked, her face going as red as her hair. "What the hell're you doin'! At least wait'll I move to another roof fer crying out loud."

Moisha giggled reaching up and pulling the redheads hands away from her face, where they had been covering her eyes. "Why wait, we're all girls here y'know. There's like, no reason to be shy."

Ranma would have argued the 'we're both girls' line with her, but her eyes had strayed downward for a few seconds, and suddenly she froze, seemingly hypnotized.

Moisha giggled again, and did an experimental hop, setting her assets to bouncing. She watched as Ranma's eyes tracked the movement as if pulled by a string. She reached down and slowly, teasingly, put on a bra and t-shirt. That done, and Ranma still in la-la land, she turned away and dropped her ninja sweats, revealing that yes, she was a natural violet. Again she took her time, bending over and thrusting out her derrière at her friend before pulling on her new panties and jeans. She turned back to see what effect this had on her companion, and laughed aloud at seeing Ranma standing like a statue, her eyes glazed, blood dripping from her nose.

She walked over and snapped her fingers in front of the other girl's face. "Like, hello? Earth to Ranma? Where do we go next?"

Ranma broke out of his stupor, and replied, her voice shaking as she tried manfully to ignore what had just happened. "W-well, we've g-got ya food for a while and c-clothing, now how about some fresh food?"

Moisha readily agreed, and the two hopped down from the rooftop. Ranma walked around for a while scoping out the various eateries before deciding on one which looked to be the emptiest and which had a male attendant up front.

Moisha watched in awe as Ranma, who she had heretofore thought was a repressed lesbian virgin, flirted devastatingly with the pizza boy. With a grin, Moisha joined in, and the dual attack proved to be too much. Within seconds the pair had gotten three pizzas and two sundaes for the prize of a single pizza and sundae combo.

As they sat down in a booth and waited for the food, Moisha nudged her partner in crime, a wicked little smile on her face. "Like, that's the dreaded mooch fu? Flirt outrageously?"

Ranma grinned, though inside she was wondering why Moisha had chosen to sit next to her rather than across. "Well yeah. The real bit is scoping out the best place to use it first. They have to be small stores, no major chains, they can't be too large, can't have that many workers, and no female employee's out front to give the gaff away. The best ones are the ones that have teen or college age guys manning the counter."

Moisha nodded, filing this information in her mind for later. Maybe she and Lydia could use it later. Right now though, she had other things on her mind. Something about the redhead was driving Moisha a little wild, and she was dying of curiosity. "So where'd you learn all this stuff? Are you like, on the run too?" As she spoke she lightly touched Ranma's leg with her hand underneath the table.

Ranma jumped a little but as the touch was not repeated she ignored it. "Nah, not anymore. My old man, who's a complete waste of space, took me on this 12 year training trip when I was 4, at least I think I was 4, when we were on the road we never celebrated my birthday, so the time spent is kinda guesswork."

Miosha whistled, letting her hand drop down on Ranma's knee again. "That's like, amazing. You spent all that time training?"

"Well, training and stealing more like. My old man was insane, and was also more than a bit of a petty thief. He never paid for anythin' and he never bothered learnin' anythin' but new trainin' methods to put me through. Some of 'em were really bad, let me tell ya."

"I can totally relate to that. Like, my master likes to attack us with real swords. Just 'cause my friends and I heal quick, he thinks it's, like, his responsibility to nearly kill us every day."

"Sounds kinda familiar." Ranma cocked his head, trying to remember something for a second then continued. "But that's actually pretty tame compared ta the trainin' my old man put me through. The worst, well the worst gave me trouble for years, and had some weird side effects. That and gettin' cursed."

"What kinda side effects, and like, what do ya mean cursed?"

Ranma shook her head, motioning in the direction of their server coming over with the food they ordered. As soon as the server was out of earshot the conversation started back up. "No way, I've already given a few people nightmares sharing that stuff."

Moisha nodded absentmindedly, reaching eagerly for the first slice of pizza, her hunger overcoming her curiosity and building attraction towards her companion. What followed was a wholesale slaughter, an orgy of destruction as the Saotome stomach and a half-starved wererat went to work on their pizzas. No mercy was given and no slice spared as the two worked their way through three large pizzas in less than half an hour.

Afterward, the two sat, slowly eating their sundaes, enjoying the chocolaty goodness after their hunger had been appeased. "So, like, what do you do now that you aren't, like, with your crazy old man anymore?"

Ranma paused, feeling Moisha's free hand again resting on her upper thigh, kneading it like dough. It felt good though, so she ignored it for now. "Right now I'm still train' myself, coming up with my own style of martial arts, and body-gaurdin' the family that took me in after a magical mishap a few weeks back."

Moisha winced. Magic and silver were deadly to were-creatures like her. "No joke? Like, that sucks." She shifted slightly pressing into Ranma's side.

Ranma shrugged, blushing as she felt the other girls breast squish against her arm. "Ain't the worst thing that ever happened to me. Sure I got this whole new body ta get used ta, but in return I lost my worst fear, so I think I came out ahead." Moisha was about to push for more information, but Ranma quickly changed the subject. "What about you? Were you learin' spying, fightin' or what? Specialize in armed or unarmed combat?

Moisha blinked surprised at the turn around but replied. "Er, like, a bit of spying and a lot of fighting. And, like, we specialize in armed combat, swords and knives mostly."

"That's dumb." Ranma said flatly. "Startin' out with weapons leaves ya vulnerable if they're taken away from ya. You should only start using weapons when you've mastered unarmed combat. Also, it's a lot easier to build up yer basic speed and situational awareness if yer practicin' unarmed first."

Moisha hmmed aloud, not wanting to say that they were really training to be assassins not ninjas, so weapons were sort of a must. She looked at a nearby clock and sighed. "Well, I don't know about that but, like, it's getting on, and Rome's and Lyds, that's another friend y'know, are probably worried, so, like, we oughta get back."

Ranma nodded and the two swiftly finished their sundaes.

As they took to the rooftops again though, Ranma continued. "But the two areas a ninja most needs to work on, which you and yer friend don't seem to have is their speed and ki."

Moisha looked at Ranma askance. "Ki, doesn't that take, like, years'n'years to master?"

"Master yes, build up and use no. But there are a lot of special techniques that depend on ki." Ranma slowed down, landing on the rooftop of another apartment building. "Watch this." Ranma concentrated briefly, and a sphere of blue power appeared in her palm. "This is an attack, it takes years of buildin' up yer strength to the level where you can do something like this, and months to actually figure out how to do it." Ranma waved her fingers and the ball disappeared, and a moment later, so did she.

Moisha looked around in shock, then closed her eyes and concentrated on her other senses. Not only couldn't she see Ranma, she couldn't even smell, hear or even sense where she was. Suddenly she felt arms wrap around her from behind, and Ranma reappeared. Moisha tilted her head to look behind her, eyes wide as she looked into Ranma's wide grin. "Like, wow!"

Ranma still grinning moved away from her friend. "See what I mean? If you have enough talent you can manipulate your ki like that. It's the ultimate ninja maneuver. If you get your ki strength up enough, maybe the next time I see ya, I'll teach ya that technique."

Moisha nodded rapidly, already thinking of meditation and other ways to control her ki. Ranma nodded in reply and the two started moving again. About fifteen minutes later, Ranma stopped again. "Well, this is as far as I go. Don't wanna be around yer perv friend, no offense."

Moisha nodded. "Yeah, Rome's ain't all that bad, but he is a bit of a perv." She reached out and grabbed Ranma in a big hug. Ranma went rigid in shock as the other girl rubbed her breasts against her own before pulling back, a wicked smile on her face. "See ya on the flip side Red." Moisha giggled and ran off, roof hopping in the direction of the mall.

About five minute later she arrived back where she had left Romeo, finding him and Lydia, having just finished getting the male wererat out of the pretzel shape Ranma had forced him into. Romeo was still lying on the ground, whimpering in pain as he forced his dislocated bones back into place. Lydia turned to her friend angrily. "Where the *&^* have you been, and why the ^&%$ did you leave Romeo like this!?"

Moisha grinned, pulling out the bag of holding and reaching into it, pulling out a box of cereal and then some other stuff. "Like Lyds', have I got stuff ta tell you."

On the other side of the mall in the parking lot Ranma met up with Brittany at her car. "So did you find anything interesting to do?"

Ranma grinned a little. "Yep, I even met a new friend. Hope I see her again though, she and her friends could use all the help they can get, their ninja skills suck." Brittany looked at the redhead quizzically then shrugged and stared the car.

End chapter

* * *

And there you have it, the introduction of the wererats, who will be taking center stage soon, along with Sheila and Brittany in the next chapter. Well, after a match between Gar and Ranma. I wanted that fight in this chapter but I felt I short changed it and no way was I going to do that. Also more about the ongoing feud (and it will be a fued) between Nabiki and Array, and Shampoo shows up in Seers hamlet.


	18. Chapter 17 Fist Beats Fireball

I don't own Ranma or Gold Digger

Some reviews i would like to respond to:

_Weebee:_ I like RDF Life, it was one of the stories that got me interested in writing Chaotic Space. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I am thankful that yours seems to me in the minority. If you don't like my work, don't read it, its that simple. And if you had read the entire story you would have realized that yes Ranma is attractive, but the trio of original fiances were obsessed/insane/ using him. Shampoo as much as admits it last chapter, and Akane was mentioned several chapters back and my readers, who i assume wil not include you, will see what happens to her later, and Ukyo really only was chasing after him because... again that will turn up later. Again, don't like, don't read.

_Narsil:_ thanks as always for the nice review. I would never use lemons like that, i think lemons should fuel the story and character development in real stories like this one, especially in stories like WW, where the bond between Minato and his wives is so important. there are other stories to read if your simply interested in smut.

I know I said that Shampoo would turn up with Brunhildgarde in Seer's Hamlet, but I decided at the last minute to do something a little different there, and they will make a an appearance in the next chapter. I meant for this chapter to be much larger, but in the end real life is kicking my ass even with extending this story to updating every other week, and I've been having to fight my muse to make it give up its secrets for this story. I will never abandon it of course, but the chapter might be slightly shorter going the other hand I have notes for the next three chapters so it is a toss up really

Oh and a tip for anyone who is looking for a ego fix. I usually write in web layout format, but when I change into print layout, you see how many pages a story encompases. My god, my Chaotic Space story is 680 some pages, and the others save my Potter/Marvel cross are all over 300! Gave my ego a boost let me tell you.

now on with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 17 Fist beats fireball**

Well the Digger sisters were preparing for their next archaeological dig Ranma had decided to go back into Jade to spend time with Kasumi, Nabiki and Brianna who was moving in with them for a few weeks due to switching places/jobs with Sheila. This time with Kasumi and Nabiki allowed him to see how happy they were both were in their present ventures, as well as see a few examples of Kasumi's power at work around the city. While her powers didn't do anything about random fights like bar brawls or fighting in the various dojo's around the city, assaults and real violence were so far down that Onoli hadn't been able to find a reason to protest Sheila switching with Brianna. The Edge Guard were getting more and more tasks outside of the city in the forests to help the Rangers, and having a 'mage' with them would be helpful. More Brianna's bag of technological goodness was more adaptable to different tasks than Sheila and her Ice Fang. Indeed she had several items that could track, spy or record things, thus being a major help in any kind of investigation. They had also all been covered by 'runes' and 'sigils' to look like magical items. Ranma also spent time with all three in a romantic sense, something they all enjoyed immensely.

Right now though, Ranma was about to start a spar against Gar, something they had both wanted to have for a while. Sheila and Brianna were both in the audience along with Julia who come through the portal to discuss some of the preparations needed for the upcoming tournament. It was now only two weeks away, and she would probably have to head to the main city where was occurring soon and remain there until it was over. Still, this match would allow her to see how her student Gar had gotten along without her guidance after she had moved back home with her husband and daughters. And it also let her spend time with her friend Karia before leaving Seer's Hamlet. There seemed to be something more to Karia's offer of her dojo's training grounds for this match, but the dark elf was so much her senior Julia decided not to question it. It couldn't be what she thought it was at first right?

Julia looked over at Garfield, who had obviously kept up with his training, given how well he was wielding his spear, yet she still fully expected him to lose. She had seen Ranma practicing, and had been impressed by his utterly insane speed, though his hitting power left much to be desired. More he was skilled at reading an opponent and his dodging ability wasn't anything to sneeze at, and his ability to consciously use his ki and special attacks were just incredible. His Cat Fist Claws for example were just deadly, and Julia was thankful he very rarely used them. Whatever else he was Ranma wasn't a killer.

Her daughter Brianna shouted "get him Ranma!" from next to her and Julia smiled, shaking her head at her enthusiasm for watching her beau in action. She had made a point of meeting and giving her stamp of approval on her daughter's suitors (she was a Jade girl and the term boyfriend just did not cut it with her), and Ranma had passed with flying colors. Despite his appalling lack of social graces, his blunt nature, and his lack of general knowledge of the world outside of fighting, he was an honorable young man who just seemed to have the most horrible luck. The fact that Theo had found that his luck was based on so many curses and stuff put together hadn't really surprised her.

No, the only thing she was concerned about was the fact that so many girls had decided to share him. She had grown to care for the Tendo girls, they were fine young ladies, but the two of them and Brianna deciding to share Ranma had surprised her. She knew it wasn't the way it was done on Earth, nor was it done by any of the human factions of Jade. Well, outside of certain barbarian chieftains, but even that was more of a holdover from the past than anything else (and something that always made her mother get a little irritated).

Ranma's ability to attract girls worried her slightly, as he and Brittany had been spending more time together since returning from their space adventure. Ranma just seemed to have a knack of cheering people up, and while she was happy he was helping her daughter through this horrible time, she was also worried about whether or not this strange attraction would work on Brittany as well. She just didn't think that Brianna would take that very well. She well knew how many problems Brianna had in seeing herself as her own person, being basically a clone of her two sisters combined. She was always trying to think of ways to stand out and set herself apart, and the idea of sharing Ranma with either of her sisters probably would not sit well with her. She had been okay with Gina flirting and teasing him as she knew that Ranma was not really interested in Gina at all and they had nothing in common, but Julia had to wonder if it would be the same thing with Brittany. At the moment however none of that really mattered and she leaned back comfortably in her chair to watch the match in front of her.

* * *

Ranma stared across and Gar stretching and cracking his muscles wondering what kind of style the other man would use. Having fought Julia she he knew that her style was somewhat similar to the Tendo style of Anything Goes, a land-based all-out attack with an emphasis on strength and using weapons for defense, though whether or not Gar had felt up to the task of personalizing it was in question. The male werejaguar was using a spear, a little longer than he was tall, with only a very small blade on the end. Yet from the feeling it was giving off Ranma knew not to mess with it, much like Sheila's Ice Fang.

Gar too was wondering what the shorter, slightly built man was going to do. He had heard from Sheila about his match with Armsmaster Karia, (who was at this moment staring at both combatants with a somewhat worrying intensity), yet whether or not he would use the same tactics of airborne combat against Gar was in question.

After a few moments of sizing each other up Gar decided to just go for it for now, and charged forward. As soon as he was within range, he lashed out swiftly with his spear, coming in at a diagonal towards where Ranma was standing.

Ranma blocked the spear with one hand and tried to break it with the other yet as he had expected the shaft of the spear was protected by some kind of magic and instead of it breaking his hand bounced off. _Okay, whatever, just means it's a good platform for airborne combat then._ He swiftly matched action to thoughts and as Gar tried another stab and kick combo he dodged the kick, and slapped the spear down using it to push himself into the air.

Gar retreated a little but started to use his spear exclusively, trying to keep Ranma in the air yet to far away from him to land a hit. This worked for a little while until he made the mistake of thrusting a little too far. with incredible speed Ranma grabbed spear, and skidded down its length, landing a roundhouse kick that was so fast Gar couldn't even see it, but which hit with all the strength of an ogre's club. Gar went to one knee for a second, and Ranma flipped down and pulled the spear out of Gar's hand, tossing it behind him.

Gar recovered quickly however and charged back in. Now bereft of his weapon Gar had to fall back on his hand-to-hand combat skills, which he had unfortunately neglected. Yet even with the weight of the spear gone he couldn't math Ranma's reflexes. The other man's speed and dodging ability were just incredible, and Gar had yet to land a single punch on him.

_It's almost like fighting Strype_, Gar thought to himself, wincing a little as another blow landed on his face, sending him skidding backwards. _Yet the difference is this guy's even faster, and__** way **__more aggressive. _ He winced again as a hammer kick came in and he could feel his ribs creak a little. _Thank goodness this is just a spar rather than a full fight well at least I think he's holding back._ To say Gar wasn't used to fighting someone so much faster than he was would be an understatement. The school of martial arts he followed was based on speed and adaptation, and he had never met someone who was better at both of those things before. It would have galled him to know that Ranma had compared his style to the more strength oriented discipline of Anything Goes rather than the speed version.

He tried to draw the other man into a trap by leaving a deliberate hole in his defense, but Ranma didn't fall for it, instead feinting for it and then as Gar tried to capitalize slapping his hands apart to live his body unprotected for a kick that made Gar gasp in pain. Gar tried to push Ranma back into a corner of training area, but Ranma didn't fall for it, swaying like he was made out of water to the left and hammering Gar's side for his trouble before he could turn and defend himself.

For his part Ranma was impressed by how well the other man was fighting. He had good reflexes, decent speed and strength, but he was over thinking things, he wasn't letting his instincts do their job, and his overall speed was lacking to fight someone like Ranma. More he didn't seem to know any kind of grappling techniques, and his kicks were not as good or as quick as they could be. Ranma decided to end the fight now before Gar could realize how badly he was overmatched.

Gar tried another series of punches and kicks, but Ranma blocked all the punches and used the kick to elevate himself into the air. Before Garfield could compensate for his foe once more being airborne Ranma grabbed his ears, flipped himself over the other man's body and hit the ground him before tossing using his ears as handles. Garfield yelled aloud in agony from having his ears gripped so hard and then slammed into the ground face first. Before he could get up he felt a light touch against the back of his neck right over his spine. "Match over," Ranma said calmly, and then moved away.

Garfield got up shaking his head groggily and wincing a little at the pain in his ears. "Ranma," he said slowly touching them gingerly, "ears are sort of a werejaguar's pride and joy. Don't grab them okay, not even a spar, its sort of a taboo thing alright?"

Ranma nodded looking a little sheepish as he noticed Shilea also glaring at him form her space on the sidelines. "Sorry I didn't know that." Garfield nodded and went over to retrieve his spear. Ranma made his way over to where the others were sitting and looked at Julia. "So what you think?"

Julia shook her head. "You're somewhere between armsmaster and journeyman, leaning towards armsmaster. But I hope you know that your match with my friend here" and she clapped Karia on the arm "ended as it did more because she was out of shape than anything else." Ignoring her friend's indignant expression and loud exclamation of irritation she went on. "You need to work on your hitting ability. That speed technique of yours is a killer, but it's more like a one trick pony really. If your opponent can dodge even a little bit second to second they can mitigate the damage they can take, and your non-lethal ki attacks don't pack enough punch either." _Well, unless they interact with magic according to Karia. I've never heard anything like she described, but I guess that's beside the point really._

Ranma nodded seriously. "I've been working on that and my physical toughness since I went with the girls on that dig a month or so ago. My endurance is good, but yeah my ability to take and deal out damage need to be way better. That fight against G'nolga showed me that much. I broke her weapon easily enough, but every blow she landed hurt like hell and every blow I landed didn't do much to her."

Julia nodded, still a little irritated that her daughters had run into her old rival. G'nolga was dangerous, and could probably have fought them all If she had been a mind to. Something about her fight with Ranma however seemed to have sparked some of her old martial fire, and Julia found herself looking forward to facing her in the tournament. She had no doubt her rival would get through the tournament to face her in the last match. If there was anyone she knew could match her and give her one hell of a fight it was G'nolga.

After talking a little longer the group went their separate ways. Brianna, Sheila and Ranma went to talk to Nabiki and Kasumi at the café, while Julia and Gar went to talk to the city elders and Karia resignedly went back inside her dojo to work on the paperwork for the ongoing repairs to her dojo. She still wasn't healed from her match with Ranma, though by her estimate she would be by the time the tournament rolled around. Which would be just perfect in her opinion, she wanted to show Ranma what she could do and she knew he would be participating.

Ranma spent a few hours with the Tendo sisters and with Brianna helping her move a few of her things up into the apartment, then he left with Sheila to go back to Earth get her situated after exchanging very thorough kisses with all three. Gina was also supposed to give them a briefing on the archeology dig that evening, which meant he couldn't stay over in Jade. Still he had loved the time he had spent with the girls in Jade, and this would give Kasumi and Nabiki time to bond with Brianna without him around, something that all three were looking forward to. Something about that thought bothered him quite a lot, but it was too late now for him to do anything about it.

* * *

On the other side of the semi-permanent portal Sheila and Ranma found Gina waiting for them. As soon as they were through she walked toward them a hand outstretched happily. "Hey Sheila long time no see."

The Jaguar smiled happily shaking the other girl's hand firmly. "Yeah you never seem to come over to Jade, I've seen both of your sisters over there and they seem to have fun, but you haven't been back there since you were taken captive a while back, what's up with that?"

Gina blushed a little. "Well other than being busy as hell lately, what with one crisis after another let's just say that my mother warned me about how technology was viewed there. I really, really don't want to be lynched. My technology tends to be a little more… obvious than Brianna's. Well, obvious outside of fights anyway. What did you think of her latest projects by the way, do you think her weapons will pass muster as magical items?"

They started to walk down the hallway up to the house proper as Sheila answered. "I think most of them will. A few of them are a little too over-the-top and I told her so as we were going over them the last few days. But I think she'll be able to hide her weapons nature yes. Even the Peebos for example can be autonomous defensive golems. Those are usually way bigger and humanoid but a young female mage might come up with something like them, so its not that much of a stretch.

Gina halted as they came to Brianna's room, which would be Sheila's during her stay with them. "Wait," she said, her eye wide behind her glasses, and her voice a little shrill, "she took some of those crazy ass Peebos along?!"

Sheila and Ranma looked at her quizzically. "Yeah she did, I helped her carry them in my weapons space. Why do you hate the little guys so much?"

Gina ground het teeth. "They are bombs Ranma, bombs that want to go off. They're trouble waiting for a place to happen."

"I don't think so, I thought they were cute. Oh sure, the fact that they can explode is kind of off-putting." Sheila said, laughing a little. "But other than that I thought they were interesting. You know she's thinking of actually putting weapons on them rather than having them simply be one shot bombs?" Ranma nodded, but Gina just groaned.

Ranma looked out of the window of Brianna's room cocking his head a little seeing a perfect opportunity to change the subject. "What are you guys building over there?" Outside near the training ground he and Brittany used was a new building being put up by some of Gina's huge SCV construction robots. On one side Brittany lay out on a lounge chair in a bikini, and Ranma forced his eyes to stay on the robots.

"Oh, that's the start of a dojo for my mom," Gina said happily, her good mood coming back instantly. "We thought of it as sort of a gift for her, you know, her birthday is coming up right after this whole tournament of hers. Plus, it gives you and Britney a place to exercise without the neighbors seeing. There have been a few complaints about that lately by the way, so I'd like you and Hurtz to stop destroying our property whenever you two spar." Ranma grinned sheepishly scratching at his pigtail but out of the corner of his eye he saw something outside and he soon excused himself. Sheila and Gina simply waved him off, already talking about Gina's archaeology digs, as well as giving the Jade native a bit of a preview of what they were going to be doing starting tomorrow. Sheila had never heard of a plane after all, and preparing her for the idea of basically flying inside large metal tube with wings was necessary to avoid issues later on.

* * *

Outside in the trees around the Diggers property wererats Lydia and Moisha were high up in a tree in their human forms looking across the fence at where Brittany was laying out next to the construction going on landed herself. Well, not really sunning herself that indicated that she was trying to get a tan. After all werecats couldn't get tans (the fur of course) but any house cat will tell you the feel a nice hot sun on your fur was incredible.

Lydia looked at their target scornfully. "That's the #$%^& that that has the elders so *&^%$#^ terrified, I'm not impressed."

Moisha shrugged. Since her meeting a few days ago with Ranma their life had gotten much better. They could now find food easily enough, and they all had clothing that allowed them to blend in the general population much more easily (though of course Moisha was still running into issues thatnks to her body, which she took with aplomb). She didn't expect their new skills to matter much when the Elders heard about this expedition but at least they were having more fun now that they weren't living paw to mouth. More Lydia had been able to get master pick-pocketing far more easily than she had expected, and her looks which despite being decent were easily forgettable. "So, like, are we going to do this now, or can we put it off for a few days because, like, o gotta tell ya Lyd's, I'm not, like, interested all that much in going running back to the others. I'm, like, enjoying our freedom girlfriend."

Lydia nodded a little. "I am too, but the sooner we get this #$%^&*# job done the sooner the elders will # $%^&*well knowledge us, and you know if we did try to stay away the #$%*&^ # will just send other $%^&#$% after us."

An unknown voice from directly above them sent both wererats into tensed readiness. "Well, that sucks. So your masters are a bunch of hard asses are they? No wonder you ran off." They looked up in trepidation to see a young man balancing easily on a tree branch right above them. Before they could react he leaned down to poke the violet haired girl in the forehead. "You still need to work on your situational awareness though Pinky."

Both of the wererats gasped in surprise at how close he had gotten without them sensing him and fell to the ground below the tray before jumping up to take up combat stances. As she stared up at the other man, Lydia whispered out of the corner of her mouth "Moisha you know who this guy is, the $#%^&# talking like he knows you."

Moisha shook her head, looking up at the handsome young man. From this angle his hsirt had slipped up a little, showing off hard abdominals the rest of his body was much the same. She could also tell he was packing something good in his pants despite their loose fit. His blue eyes were incredible too, and they and the hairstyle reminded her of her friend Ranma. _Maybe he's her brother or something? Whatever, Moisha likey… wait, this isn't the time for that girl, control yerself._ "Like, no I don't know who he is. Who are you handsome?"

Ranma jumped down to face them shaking his head. "I forgot I didn't show you. Well, remember a redheaded girl that told you she had a curse, well that body was the curse." He reached into weapons space and pulled out a cold bottle of water and poured it over his head, changing into his female form. "I'm Ranma." He looked at her a little hesitantly at this point. While he was used to his curse he had taken to using it as a sort of litmus test to how close he would allow people to come. Lately all the people he had met had accepted it, though he knew that Ryan and Tirga were both freaked out about it. He hoped his new friend didn't freak out.

His hope was in vain, though her freak out had nothing whatsoever to do with the curse. "Ranma!" Moisha exclaimed happily jumping at the redhead and smooshing their breasts together in an exuberant hug. "Like it's so good to see you. And you should have shown me that other body earlier, you are fucking hot as a guy!"

The redhead blushed heavily under this enthusiastic greeting but Lydia smacked her forehead. So this was the mysterious Ranma who gave Moisha that awesome bag of holding. Still they had more important things to worry about right now. "Hello Moisha," she growled. "Shouldn't we be more $%^&*#($^ worried about the fact that he was so easily able to $#%&*(^%sneak up on us!?"

Ranma gently pushed Moisha away though her face was split into a wide grin at how easily her friend had accepted her curse, which brought an answering grin on the wererats face. "It wasn't that hard sneaking up on you, you two were staring at Brittany so much you weren't paying attention to your surroundings, you'll have to work on that if you want ta continue ta be ninjas. As for what I'm doing here, well, this is where I kinda work as bodyguard. I did mention that when we were chowing down on those pizzas right?

Before Moisha could respond to this worrying declaration Brittany poked her head over the fence. "Ranma what are you up to over here, and who're these two kids?"

Ranma turned to introduce her, but stopped and stared as both wererats backed away screaming a little and shivering in terror. It almost looked as if they were paralyzed, and Ranma wondered what the hell was going on with that. Brittany in a suit was sexy as hell, not scary. "Well, this my friend Moisha and her friend I think her names Lydia, I don't know what they were doing here but…" before he could even complete the sentence, both were rats had run off the moment Brittany stop looking at them. He turned to look at their retreating and scratched his head quizzically. "Huh."

Brittany looked at their rapidly retreating forms and noticed something that Ranma hadn't. "Why do their clothes have holes for tails?"

Ranma shrugged and said, "I don't know, but I think I went to follow him for a little bit, something weird is going on, and I want ta see if I can head it off before it bites us in the ass."

Brittany nodded, waving a hand. "Go on girlfriend." She smirked as Ranma scowled. "It's not like we need you here right now. By the way do you like this suit I bought?" She posed a little and Ranma blushed heavily looking away as she splashed herself with hot water from another bottle taken from weapons space. "You, um you look great," he muttered, and then darted away after the retreating duo.

Brittany nodded in satisfaction though she could have wished for a little more enthusiasm in that response. It wasn't if she was interested in Ranma he was a great friend and really handsome and… she shook her head. _What am I thinking? I'm still not over Strype, and even if I was going after my sister's boyfriend would be bad on so many levels._

* * *

Back in Jade business was booming as usual for Silver Heaven, and Kasumi and Allia as well as three more workers (Brianna had been kidnapped to and Edge Guard orientation lecture by Onoli) were kept busy dealing with the customers both inside the café and those waiting outside. Thankfully Tirga wasn't here to make a nuisance of himself and the extra workers lightened the load. Upstairs in their apartment Nabiki leaned back frowning thoughtfully at the prices of a warehouse in Seer's Hamlet, and wondering if she should just bite the bullet and order one made for her on the outskirts of town.

The problem was Seer's Hamlet wasn't a major commercial center. It had a small and extremely good artisan section, a somewhat large and competent mage population and all the items and trinkets that entailed, and a lively market, based off trade with the surrounding werecat communities farmsteads and a few mines. But it didn't deal with storing and transporting bulk freight. Indeed there were only a few cities in Jade that were set up to handle that. The economy of most of the nations of Jade was more built for moving and selling small goods, and she didn't want to pay the prices to the merchant's guild or any of the rich families that controlled the bulk trades. Those families had a bad reputation of gauging anyone they did business with that didn't have the muscle or money to make them back off.

_Of course, I may already have had dealings with them, or at least one of their agents._ Nabiki thought ruefully, remembering her run in with the judge and sheriff. More it looked as if pressure was building up from other corners to try and take a slice of their pie. Nabiki and Kasumi were making enormous amounts of money and profit in Jade terms, Earth foods were a tremendous hit, and they had already proven to have staying power rather than being a flash in the pants new thing that wouldn't last. Indeed, barely two weeks in, Nabiki knew that within a month she'd be the richest person in the entire region, which blew her earlier estimates of how profitable this venture would turn out away. Back on Earth the profits weren't nearly as good, but the sale of blood rubies more than paid for everything they did and as word spread about an alternate source (you, know, one that wasn't ruled by an oppressive militant regime and mined in squalid conditions) they would come to dominate that market. She expected to have some problems turn up at some point about that from various directions but knew that Ranma could handle anything physical that came their way and she could handle most everything else.

No right now her problem was the whisper campaign being spread about them. Several times her budding spy network had had to quash rumors of how they had used 'fell technology' here in Jade to create the foods they offered. She hadn't quite pinpointed where it was coming from, not with anything she could use as proof in an open forum at any rate, but she somehow knew that it all would lead back to the judge, or whoever the judge really was at any rate. One of the things most of the people spreading rumors around and trying to undermine her business had in common was paper trails, but no real life backgrounds. _It seems as if she, whoever she really is, took my stance more as a threat than a warning to back off, ah well, I can't change it now. I'm almost tempted to ask the Edge Guard to look into it, but I want to handle this myself before bringing in any kind of official assistance. _Indeed the Edge Guard would be busy for several weeks starting as soon as Brianna was brought up to speed on their duties and rules. With the city so secure (thanks to Kasumi though few knew of it) a token militia could keep the peace here, leaving them free to head out into the wilds and help the rangers curtail or maybe even end entirely the illegal slave trade, which still was a major problem for all the werecat tribes. Their durability, attractive bodies and susceptibility to magic made them the slave of choice for many across Jade, and all of the Edge guard members were eager to help bring that horrible practice to an end.

No this feud going on between her and the mysterious, seemingly endlessly multiplying woman was something Nabiki would have to handle alone, at least for now.

* * *

Lydia and Moisha had scurried back to the house they were staying in, one that had been left empty by its owners having gone on vacation somewhere. It was here where Romeo found them coming back from a foray for more food. He looked into the windows on the second story and couldn't spot Lydia anywhere, but Moisha's most striking features (at least to his mind), were sticking behind a curtain rather obviously. Romeo moved into the room muttering, "what have you two been up to?"

Behind him Ranma arrived on the roof. He stood glaring down at the pervert, but waiting to hear what was going to be said before introducing himself, hidden in the umi-sen-ken.

Moisha was too busy hyperventilating at her close encounter of the cheetah kind to respond to Romeo's query, but Lydia was made of sturdier stuff and she grabbed Romeo pulling him towards her and shaking him like a rag doll. "It's true!" she exclaimed loudly. "It's all true what the elders said about the cheetah, they do have the death stare!"

Romeo sighed. _ It seems my compatriots have been partaking of illegal substances_, Moisha joined in grabbing his arm and shaking him by that. _And alas they have not left me any._

A few moments later the two had calmed down enough to tell him what had happened, though not having been there Romeo was much more concerned about the fact some unknown man had been able to sneak up on them both, even with Moisha vouching for him. They were after all ninjas, and that kind of thing were not good for their continued well being.

He looked out the window as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. A limo had just pulled up outside and he shook his head. "It would appear that the time has come to leave this domicile comrades come let us abscond from this vicinity posthaste."

Lydia looked out as well as Moisha, and they both gasped as an old stooped man got out of the vehicle, followed immediately by two large bodyguards. His features were even more ratlike than their own, but there was nothing wrong with his mind of his eyes, hidden as they were behind tiny sunglasses. He glared up at them and Lydia gasped. "El-elder Gothrain…"

He glared at of that them as he smoked at his cigar. "You three, in the limo now," he growled out in a voice that demanded instant obedience and the trio slunked out of the house, knowing they were in for it now.

Neither the old man nor the trio of younger wererats had noticed that this little drama had an observer and Ranma decided he didn't like the look of this old guy, and with a single leap He landed lightly on top of the limo. Putting his ear against the top of the limo he heard everything that was said as the limo drove on, about the creation of the werecreatures by some ancient mage as well as hwo he died and why the wererats stayed on Earth when most of the other magical beings moved to Jade. He frowned when Gothrain threatened his friend and her friends with silver weapons. Now one of the many things he had learned from Brittany and Sheila was that silver was no joke to were-creatures. So, as they had stopped at a red light he hopped off banished the cloaking technique and knocked on the door before any of the three could reach for the silver knives in front of them.

The trio inside looked up at the unexpected reprieve of someone knocking on the door of the limo, wondering what the heck was going to happen now. Gothrain on the other hand growled angrily. He lowered the window a little to look out angrily. He stared at the face of the man on the other side, wondering where the heck he had seen him before. Something about one of the other elders projects… Moisha and Lydia gaped for an entirely different reason.

Ranma didn't know what Gothrain was thinking and he didn't care. "Yo, I can't help but notice that you kind of looked as if you kidnapped a few of my friends, would you mind letting them go before I have to get violent?"

Gothrain snorted at the young fool and waved his hand at one of the guards sitting across from him. That man immediately pulled out of handgun and fired at Ranma. Ranma ducked away and his hand reached up, smashing through the window to grab the weapon and pulled weapon and owner out of the vehicle to toss aside as if he weighed next to nothing to slam into a house by the side of the road. Luckily there was little traffic and few people around, and what there was disappeared quickly. "Now that just isn't cool. Don't go shooting guns at me, that's just asking for trouble, just give me my friends and we can call it even okay?"

Gothrain sneered even as he was surprised that the other young man's prowess. His other guards got out of the front of the limo, and made to attack Ranma but Ranma was already in front of blasting both of them back with the with ease.

Moisha grinned and raised a hand shouting "Damn Ranma, that's, like, way awesome, keep it up!" Her friends looked at her quizzically and she shrugged. "What, I like watching a good fight." Gothrain turned and glared and she shut up quickly, but by this time both of his guards had joined their unconscious fellow on the road. With a wordless snarl Gothrain activated one of his emergency spells and the car started to move without anyone driving it. Before it could move more than a few yards Ranma jumped up and slammed his fist down into and through the front of the car. The car skidded to a halt as all power failed and smoke began to boil out of the large hole his fist had made in the engine and its housing.

* * *

Nearby two watchers were looking at this ongoing action mouths agape. The man, who was wearing a suit and looked like the prototypical federal agent muttered. "I don't know who the little idiot is but he's ruining our sting operation."

His partner, a much taller black woman with huge shoulders whose name was Xane shook her head, smiling happily. "You know what this means" she said excitedly "we have to get out there and try and stop him!" She exited her car and ran forward before her partner could stop her. He shook his head but reluctantly chased after her.

* * *

Gothrain had been forced to evacuate the car (though he was nowhere near as fast doing so as the mallrats) before the engine blew up.

He turned angrily and magically created a fireball sending it at his attacker, wondering what the hell was going on. Was this some kind of assassination attempt thinly hidden by the brats interest in Lydia and the others, or were they an active part of it? Whichever was the answer he decided they would have to be liquidated regardless of the money and time spent on their training, and this young full would burn.

He was incredibly surprised when Ranma simply slammed a fist wreathed in an aura of intense cold into the fireball dissipating it into a large cloud of steam. Using the steam as a cover he raced forward, but Gothrain was an experienced survivor and he retreated sending another spell into the steam, this one a flame wave spell. However Ranma dodged it and came out of the steam right next to him, and one hard blow slammed Gothrain in the mouth, breaking several of his teeth and sending the old wererat across the road to slam bodily into a house on the other side of the road.

Before he could capitalize Ranma found himself hoisted into the air by a large Amazon of a woman with curly hair. "Sorry cutie but we've got a sting operation following that old rat around, and your attacking him is kind of ruining it for us. Thanks for livening up my day though."

Moisha looked at her fellows and muttered, "Like, is she an idiot, she's like said that right in front of Gothrain." Indeed Gothrain had heard that and decided to stay around and kill these two agents before disappearing for a time.

Moisha growled a little, changing into her full wererat mode in preparation for action, knowing she was faster and more durable in that form. Lydia frowned doing the same she wondered what the three of them should do. Gothrain was one of the most powerful elders among the wererat community, and had been the one that had pushed them into training with Zero. As far as she knew none of the other elders had anything to do with them, so maybe if Gothrain died now they could disappear. After all, with their talents and skills they could probably make a much better living freelance them being bound to the clans, and none of the trio had any family to speak of so…

As Gothrain got to his feet and was about to order the trio to follow him as he escaped when Moisha surprisingly took the initiative and jumped into the air, spinning wildly and landing a major kick to the black woman's face. "Like, let me friend go!" She shouted and surprised Xane did so, shaking her head form the blow. Gothrain snarled angrily and was about to use a rat catcher spell on her which would force her to obey him as long as the spell lasted, but Ranma put his feet up and against the chest of the woman who was holding him, pushing off and zooming forward to grab him by the shoulder and throw him into a building nearby. The Gothrain grunted in agony for the second time since this debacle started. Even as a wererat and the durability that gave him he was old, and this level of physical combat was something his body couldn't take. He was still far better at it than a human would be at his age, but that wasn't saying much.

Ranma nodded happily as his friend join the fight, then looked over at another man came rushing forward. he was a big guy, bigger than Ranma anyway but nowhere near as big as the black woman, and he wore a suit and was pulling something out from inside a pocket. "Federal officers" he shouted, you are interfering in a federal investigation!"

Ranma shrugged, he was never one for following authority. "You guys attacked me first, this is all on your hands dude." With the fireball thrower down on the ground and out of the action for now He turned and rushed back to help Moisha, who now found herself held in one meaty hand as her far larger opponent wound up for a knockout punch.

Ranma darted in slapping three pressure points on the arm holding Moisha in the air, deadening all her strength in that arm, then when the larger woman tried to kick out at him, he used that as springboard up to head height. He reached forward grabbed her head and slammed his knee into her face several hundred times with Amiguriken speed. He winced a little as he fell back, the black woman staggering then dropping to her knees, her face a mass of welts and bruises, her nose broken and both eyes shut from the series of blows. "What the hell is she made out of?!"

Behind Moisha the other two had decided to take a wait-and-see attitude, hoping for an opening to kill Gothrain in the confusion with no one watching the wiser, or get away clean, rushing up a building and standing on top of it to look down at the action. Lydia shook her head. "It's not #$%^%*&%#$ like Moisha to be so *&(^%$# interested in fighting. What do you thinks going on with that?"

Romeo shrugged in fact he was wondering the same thing. "Alas I cannot fathom the female mind at the best of times, yet this does seem beyond the pale. I cannot fathom what has happened to our mammary favored teammate."

Lydia turned to him and glared "Mammary favored, do you even #$%^&*()& listen to yourself sometimes?"

Romeo shrugged. "Do not sneer at my words Lydia, for the bard doth live within me as my name is…"

Lydia interrupted his monologue by smacking him upside the head and they both went back to watching the fight in silence.

By this time Gothrain had recovered enough to use several spells, one of which was a summoning spell and out of a rift in the air appeared a low level demon, almost skeletal in body, wielding a long scythe. With the demon there to protect him at close range Gothrain began to throw more fireballs at his enemies. Ranma dodged these easily, while Moisha had changed into her rat mode and had jumped onto his head and Ranma laughed a little, treating this like it was all good fun. "Huh, so which of those forms is your normal one Pinky?"

"Like they're all normal" Moisha squeaked. She was enjoying herself up here, it was like being on a roller coaster and she could tell that Ranma wasn't even really trying hard as he dodged the elder's fireballs. Zane and the man in the suit however were both soon looking a little crispy around the edges.

"Huh that's, actually pretty dam nuseful, especially for a ninja."

"Too Right!" Moisha yelled jumped off Ranma's head as they came close to the government agent, transforming in midair to land on the other mans back to try and put him into a submission hold. The man blushed heavily as her large breasts pressed into his back momentarily distracted by this enough to let her finish locking it in.

The Amazon turned to help, but Ranma dodged another fireball, lifted his hands and cried "Moko Takabashi!" A cerulean sphere of ki slammed into her stomach blowing her away in into and through the wall of a building on the other side of the road.

That done, he turned to the fireball thrower, and his guard demon. He charged forward, dodging two more fireballs and as the demons swung his scythe at him Ranma dived under its legs, into a roll. Now behind the demon Ranma pushed off the ground turning in midair to another Moko Takabashi, this time laced with his element affinity into the demon before it could turn. The demon wailed in agony and began to fade out of existence.

Gothrain looked up angrily and sent his most powerful attack spell at this young fool, which he had had just finished enchanting. The Soul shriveler (named so by a wererat wizard who was a genius at crafting spells but an absolute failure at naming things) speared out from his hand, a mass of crisscrossing red and black lines of magical energy.

Ranma turned quickly and not having time to do anything else sent out his own ki attack, lacing it with his light element as he had just down seconds before. "Moko ha Reiku!" The two attacks collided and once again, like during his math with Weaponsmaster Karia, magic and his strange elements interacted, in a most violent fashion.

Ranma was tough and durable enough to weather the storm of fire and wild power this caused, landing in a somewhat singed and battered heap about a block away. Gothrain on the other hand was old, with the weakness of body that entailed even in one of his race and above all he was a werecreature. That meant he was extremely susceptible the magic, and whatever this was a portion of it at least was magical in nature. He found himself flattened against the wall behind him, screaming as the chaos of the power that had was created when the two attacks collided fried his body entirely, leaving behind only a burned patch on the wall behind him.

Moisha carelessly threw the man she had strangled into unconsciousness back into the same hole the Amazon had made when hit by Ranma's ki attack and thrust her arm into the air jubilantly. "Like hell yeah, what do you think about that? Like no more hell lessons or pissy elders for this girl!"

Ranma looked down at the body a little regretfully. He hadn't meant to kill the old guy, but what was done was done. He looked up as sirens began blaring the distance. "Oh yeah," he said to himself "the police around here actually react to violence in public." He turned to Moisha and her friends who had both dropped to the ground on either side of her, gaping at the stain on the wall that had been one of them most terrifying wizards of all rat-dom. "We should run, now is good, I really don't wanta explain ta the authorities what happened." Moisha nodded and she and her fellow mallrats, having no real clue as to what they should do now, chased after him.

Behind them in the hole in the house her body had made Xane pushed her comatose partner off her groaning a little. "The boss isn't going to like this…"

End chapter

* * *

as always read and review


	19. Chapter 18 New Friends, New Rules, Old

I don't own Ranma or Gold Digger. Sorry but finding new and amusing ways to say that has gotten a little old.

Some Reviews I would like to mention:

_Hiryo:_ I hope you enjoy Theo's reaction in here, and Sheila will get more face time in the next chapter

_Heaven's Deamon_: I have never even heard of that special and never heard of any of the information you mention, so I simply went with what I know. If this changes things around, well that is what Fanfiction is for.

_ConfusedFanficAddict:_ that has been corrected, well spotted.

_TJG:_ the beta-tech idea is a good one, and I will credit you for it if I use it going forward, we'll see how the story flows.

_Tai Khan: _Ranma will not be getting Lydia in the harem, but she might get with someone else. I have amusing plans for her, so we'll see how it goes. And Hanzo hasn't been transformed into a woman in my story.

I must make a announcement at this time:

I have mentioned before, now that WW is over, the poll about the next story is done. While the poll was going on, I received a few PMs, though not nearly as many as I had hoped for, asking for one story or another and **explaining** **or defending** their choice like I asked about why I should write one or the other. If they did not try to explain why one was more interesting or a better idea than the other I ignored them, but if they did that was worth five points (I may have said ten initially but I felt that was too many) for their choice. So here we go:

From the poll Making Waves receives 70 points. The next book of DvC received 46, and 2 pms that actually defended or explained why I should go for it, so it came to 56. Making Waves had **one **PM that explained why it was the better choice (Ranma in a magic world = awesome, and a lot of interesting characters to interact with), all of the others simply said it sounded cool which is not an explanation. I was actually pretty sad about that, but whatever.

Horse of the Dead earned 60 points in the poll and I received 4 PMs that defended it. One in particular mentioned that it would be the first of this crossover, and thus I could set an example with it, and that the idea of someone like Ranma, who has spent most of his life on the road and away from civilization, dealing with the chaos and anarchy and lack of order created by a zombie infestation would be interesting, and that my having him dislike Rei would be almost unique, as most crossovers with HotD are kind to her. this PM also mentioned that Making Waves would be way longer by far, given that _Fairy Tail_ is still ongoing, and that since I already have several giant stories I'm working on I might not want to take another on. This is very true, as I know that Lion of Light may eventually be larger than Chaotic Space, and A third Path to the Future, well that will probably be even larger by a wide margin.

Unfortunately, I have to say that I will not be taking up either story full-time going forward. Not at least until Chaotic Space is done. I have three stories still ongoing even with Warriors Way ending, and at this time of year Real Life Is A Bitch, and trust me it deserves being capitalized. It's called going for your Masters degree people, they don't just hand those out in cracker boxes and that doesn't even mention the fact that I'm also working. So rather than taking up either story full-time, I will post a lengthy introduction chapter to both stories near the end of October and then open up the Making Waves story to anyone who wants to pick up where I leave off in that chapter going forward. I'm sorry but that's just the way it is.

And now on to the actual story:

* * *

**Chapter 18 New friends, new rules, old objectives**

After an almost interminable speech Onoli wound down, looking expectantly at Brianna. "Do you understand our duties and obligations now?"

Brianna shook her head her eyes a little glazed. She had been told to get over to the Edge Guard barracks after moving her stuff in with Kasumi and Nabiki, but if she had known she was going to sits for hours and listen to Onoli drone on and on about laws and rules and stuff she wouldn't have bothered. "Sorry I stopped listening to you after you said that we're supposed to bring people in rather than, you know, just blow them the hell up. Seriously I don't really need to know all this stuff, I'm filling in for Sheila remember, not replacing her! I signed up for the adventures, not for this lawful good crap."

Onoli sighed, but he supposed he should have expected that. Brianna was an adventurer after all, she never signed up to do the policeman aspect of the Edge Guard's duties, which actually took up far more of their time than their adventuring/brigand hunting aspect, Then too, Sheila wasn't actually one of the most exuberant about their normal duties was she. He could hardly have expected her replacement or fill in to be any better. He probably shouldn't have hit her with all their rules and regulations like that, but he just wanted all their bases covered. The local sheriff had been, not obstructing their duties outright, but she had become very nit-picky on the rules and regulations. Two would-be thieves, who had only been caught because of a freak accident involving a roof caving in as they made their way across it, had been let go because they hadn't been caught actually thieving, nor did they have any of the thieves apparel on them when they were brought in.

While that was technically following the letter of the law, Onoli was worried that she might have… compromised in some way. Onoli had already ordered Thropan to start digging, but that had to be put on hold for now. _But by Bastet, I want all the T's crossed and I's dotted if/when we bring in our targets, especially this time. No shadow damned slaver is going to escape justice because of a corrupt sheriff I have anything to say about it!_ "Well, all right, just remember that out in the field you obey our orders. If I tell you take someone prisoner, or stop shooting or anything else, you do it, clear?"

Brianna nodded quickly seeing the werelion's intense look, and seeing why Allia could be so interested in a stick in the mud like him.

"So will you be ready to head out in a few hours? We think we have a lead on one of the slaving gangs operating in the area. If we can catch them in the act or even transporting the slaves we can throw the book at them." _And if we let one escape with one of your technology based trackers on them, we might be able to hunt down and roll up the entire operation, including its financial backers. It's a risk to use something based on technology on something like this, as if it gets out it'll never be admissible in court, but the payoff is well worth it._

Brianna giggled but her eyes were very hard at the mention of slavery as she rubbed her hands together. "I'll throw more at them than just a book, trust me!"

Onoli twitched a little, not that he didn't understand the sentiment, but he replied as smoothly as he could. "Just remember the restrictions we're working under all right?"

Brianna nodded waved her hand in the air a little languidly and walked off. She was just about to exit the barracks when Tirga intercepted her. "Hey Brianna," he said smiling a lopsided, challenging little smile that he knew that all the ladies liked. "I was just wondering if you'd like to get some dinner with me."

Brianna scowled a little. _ Sheila warned me about this asshole, but he's been flirting with me all day off and on! Doesn't he have anything better to do, or at least someone else to flirt with?_ Subtlety had not worked, nor had mentioning the fact that she already had a boyfriend in an ever increasingly blunt fashion. _To hell with subtlety, violent it is!_ She swung around one hand already filled with one of her 'magically inscribed' pistols pointing directly at his head. "What part of fuck off and die don't you understand!? I have a boyfriend, you stupid striped idiot!"

"A boyfriend that you have to share with two other girls," He replied calm yet backing away only a little, his eyes straying a little downwards to her chest, which was a bit on display given the fact that she was only wearing a tight T-shirt and open jacket and very tight jeans at present.

"Why would you want to share when you could have your own stud all to yourself?" _For a few days at least,_ he thought to himself. He wasn't actually looking for any kind of long-term relationship obviously, but Brianna looked like she would be at tenant hellacious ride, one he wanted to sample for himself if he could. And the fact she was one of three going out with Ranma both bothered him and gave him an opening. Or so he thought.

Little did he know that Brianna could read his thoughts like a book, after all in many ways she used to be a female version of Tirga. Then she met Ranma, and their connection had grown over time. Oh to be fair when they first met it had been completely physical (not that she thought that was a bad way for things to start). But since he had moved in with her and her sisters the two of them had spent far more time talking and getting to know one another than they spent making out, and Brianna had found to her surprise that she enjoyed that aspect of her relationship just as much as the nookie. "I'm not interested in being one of your roles in the hay Tirga," Brianna said, rolling her eyes. "I've got a source of nookie and affection. You only want the one and couldn't care less about the other. Leave me alone, or we'll have to see how good your healing abilities truly are, understand?"

The flirt gulped a little as Brianna's free hand reached down to her pouch at her belt, where the team had been told she kept all of her larger weapons just in case. Weapons space was a really useful technique and Brianna would forever be grateful that her boyfriend had taught it to her. "All right, I'll back off." _ For now, anyway. After all, we're all going to be out there alone on the trail for a while, and I'll have plenty of time to break down your resistance then. No one can resist my charms for that long. It's a matter of pride now._

Brianna ground her teeth a little knowing this wasn't the end of it but she had signed on for this and she turned away without saying anything more. "Hopefully I'll soon find something else to vent my frustrations on." She muttered as she walked, garnering a few surprised and worried looks form passerby who heard her.

She walked back to the café where she had been staying with Nabiki and Kasumi in the upstairs apartment. Kasumi greeted her cheerfully, directing her workers to help the customers both inside and out. By this time there were five cooks inside the kitchen, and three working the outside crowd along with the waiters inside. Kasumi regularly bounced form one section to another, helping out when needed, charming all who met her with her smile and bright demeanor. That the workers were a mixed bag of races didn't matter at all to her, and she treated them all with the same kindness as everyone else, not even realizing that her attitude was strange coming from someone it was known had come from Earth.

In terms of business Nabiki had been wondering whether or not she should buy one of the nearby buildings and demolish it to make room for more outside eating areas, but had decided against it in favor of adding a takeout option to their menu. She was soon going to also be offering ice cream in larger amounts, just as soon as she figured out a way to keep it cold for a time. The price for ice in Jade was ruinous, and she didn't want to pay it just yet, as she had heard that magic might be able to come up with a far better, cheaper option. Brianna had also promised to look into after she returned from her first mission with the Edge Guard.

Nabiki was upstairs working on her paperwork, wanting to get ahead of it for once. She took a break though to welcome Brianna and to help her pack a few pieces of clothing and weaponry she didn't want to put it weapons space in a backpack. After that they kissed for a time, and Brianna was surprised anew at how fun it was to kiss another woman. Oh sure she had experimented a bit with Genn, after all, Brittany had done the same with her friend the Pink Avenger when she was younger. But kissing Nabiki and Kasumi was just much more fun than kissing Genn had ever been, and turned her on far more. She felt closer to them than she ever had to the rahkshasa, as sad as that was to admit, and kissing them meant far more.

The three of them had spent a bit of time starting to get to know each other better than they had before without Ranma around to distract them or her sisters to dominate the conversation. She was looking forward to getting to know them more during her time in Jade and was a little sad she would be heading out so soon after arriving. They had only shared a few stories so far, mostly about Ranma and the craziness he had brought into their lives, but Brianna knew there were more things to learn about one another.

She shared a kiss with Kasumi as well, in the kitchen away from prying eyes for a moment since Kasumi was a little more into propriety then she was after all, and then she left to join the rest of the Edge Guard heading out to see if they could hunt down the slavers in the area.

As they left the city behind, she rubbed her hands together a little gleefully. "Finally a little adventure," she grinned. "I bet that I bag more of them than you." The phrase was ambiguous, and she meant both bag as in capture and bag as in kill. She had gotten over her reaction to killing that had happened after the battle on Aebra, and she felt nothing but loathing for anyone who would prey on those weaker than themselves, whatever the reason. _Slavers, meet peebos, play nice now y'hear, eheheheh._

Garfield laughed just as glad to leave their normal policeman duties behind for a little bit of the rough stuff. "You're on." Thropan nodded as well, smirking as Tirga did the same. Onoli just shook his head a little and the group hiked off into the forest.

* * *

Behind them a few pairs of eyes watched them go. Their owner cursed the fact that for whatever reason their operations had fallen into so much to disarray in the city that they couldn't take advantage of this opportunity to capture the mages for their boyfriend. "Tirant's not going to like this, not going to like this at all." Array muttered to herself. In point of fact their entire wizard capture operation had ground to a complete halt within Seer's hamlet. Outside of the cities, and they only really had a firm presence in Seer's Hamlet, trying to capture any wizards in the other cities would cause them to run into both sides of the law unless they wanted to pay the locals exorbitantly to do it for them, the pickings were slim and very thorny. Mages that lived alone away from the towns and cities of Jade tended to be either powerful, paranoid, working on something so volatile a single interruption could spell ruinous consequences, or some dangerous amalgam of all three.

"He's been threatening to move to the main city anyway, this might just speed it up a little." Another voice answered, in the tones of one of her thief personalities.

"Oh yeah, that's such a great idea moving to **the** center of power where all the most powerful Weaponsmasters, mages and everyone else are going to gather for the tournament next month! Why didn't I think of that?" This voice came from one of the spy personalities, a little urchin she had created to run around the city watching everything without drawing any suspicion. She was a snarky little bitch, if Array said it about herself.

"Tell me again why we're still with him? He doesn't seem to understand that we've already got power here. We don't need some huge and destructive over-the-top master plan, all we need is to slowly spread our array, and eventually we'll rule the entire realm." This came from the lawyer personality she had recently created to take a closer look at the laws of the land. She was analytical in the extreme, and always on the lookout for anything that could be turned to their advantage in the laws she was slowly memorizing, but she didn't have much in the way of emotions, and thus little to no connection to Tirant.

"I know," the original said sadly as their personalities all came together again in her place in the town's municipal building. "But he was the one who broke us out of the research lab we were created in, without him we would still be a guinea pig for those bastard scientists. And well, he is our boyfriend you know. Where else are we going to find someone who can put up with us that doesn't just want his own all included harem?"

"Yes," said another voice, this time it was the voice of the sheriff personality, one of the oldest she had in terms of when it had been created. "But I think we need to think about whether or not our loyalty to him is worth more than being safe and powerful here in Jade. Or whether we've done enough to pay him back for that, and whether or not we, we should break away from him." The voice seemed to wince as she said that, and a clamor went up of the more emotional and libido driven personalities fired back at the very idea of leaving their man.

Array sighed. There was really no good answer to her concerns, but she was still going to stick with her boyfriend for a while. Maybe she could figure out a way to convince him to not go down the self-destructive route he seemed to be going down. Because unemotional pedant or not, the lawyer was right, Array wielded more power, more real power here in Jade than she ever could have dreamed of back on Earth, and they didn't need to even risk themselves to use it. If Tirant couldn't figure out that being the behind the scenes power broker was far better than being some kind of violent super villain then…maybe, just maybe, she would have to cut her losses, regardless of her love for him.

* * *

"Like, where're you taking us Ranma?" Asked Moisha from where she was running along behind him with Lidia and Romeo on either side of her, all of them back in their human forms to avoid drawing any more attention than they already were, which was surprisingly little around here. It was as if the people living in the area were used to seeing people roof hop. They had long since left the scene of the battle against Gothrain and the secret agents behind them, and had swiftly taken to the rooftops bounding away as police cars converged on the burning mass behind them.

Ranma looked back at her, grinning a little then decided to show off a bit, flipping over and walking on his hands backwards so he could talk to them face to face, even pushing himself off one roof and onto another without even noticing. Moisha pouted at this display of skill, sticking her tongue out at him, and Romeo chuckled a little at his antics while Lydia looked at him balefully.

She had concluded that regardless of anything else they would be forever cut off from their people due to their being in the same place at the same time that Gothrain had fried, maybe even hunted down and killed for it. After all she knew at least one of his guards had gotten away by transforming into his rat form and ducking into the sewers. She had seen him go, but had decided not to chase after him. After all, even for a wererat it was almost impossible to tell one of their fellows from any other normal rat, and any sewer in the world had lots of them. She just hoped this guy had some idea of what to do because she was really thinking up a big old blank. She knew that all three of them wanted money, they wanted to be able to live the life they wanted to, yet they also wanted to get the hell away from anywhere the rat community could hunt them down. Being on the run for the rest of her life wasn't something that appealed to her at all.

"I'm thinking of dropping you guys off at Dr. Diggers for a bit, he might have a good idea of where you guys can go." Moisha looked hurt for a moment and he went on hurriedly. "I wouldn't mind taking you on as apprentices, but I just don't think I'd have time to train ya given my bodyguard duties. And I'm not a ninja by trade, I could teach you a lot of tricks and a hell of a lot of basics ta help your speed and strength but I don't know if that's what you guys want to do with your lives. If that old bastard had any friend though, we need someplace to hide ya where they can't get at ya." Moisha's face cleared and she nodded.

"What myself and my allies wish to do with our lives is get somewhere safe," said Romeo grimly. "While you might have helped us for the moment my friend, our community is not one that an individual can truly abscond from without said leave-taking being of a permanent nature that involves slow, lingering torture. The elders have no appreciation of freedom or rebellion, and they are singularly driven and arrogant people."

Moisha shrugged. She honestly didn't think the other elders would come after her, it wasn't like she was important or anything, she was an orphan for goodness sake, it was surprising she had lived as long as she had in the first place. Romeo and Lydia were in the same position. They weren't anyone important, that was probably why they had been chosen for the training they had been given at all, though the money that had been spent on them might be enough to want someone to come after them. But Ranma seemed to be up to protecting them all. The idea of getting stronger was an okay thought, but she really wanted to make some money and live the life she wanted to than anything else. The idea of further training however made her a little nervous. "Like, you wouldn't be training us so hard that we have, like, a few dozen fatal wounds every time would you? 'Cause like, that would be a sort of an ass thing to do."

"Why does that remind me of something? No, I wouldn't be doing that, that's just stupid. Your body doesn't learn by being killed like that, you're not one of those, what are they called, the overpowered monkey people from that Dragonball manga? Anyway, you learn by being pushed beyond the ragged edge endurance wise not by being cut to ribbons. I don't care if you are wererats, that's just dumb. Trust me I know, I was put in more positions where I should've died then I really want ta remember."

"Sounds like you had your own #^$%A^% version of that # $%^&* Zero." Lydia said, looking at the pigtailed martial artist in some surprise.

Ranma's hand steps faltered as they entered the boulevard where the Digger's mansion resided. He nearly missed the next jump point, and he flipped to his feet, looking back at her. "Zero, tall Asian, really long ponytail, with a really long but plain katana? He was the one training you?"

All three of the wererats looked at him in surprise. Moisha nodded rapidly. "Yeah, like, that was our old trainer, the one we ran away from. He nearly killed us every day and, like, it became seriously old."

Ranma brought one of his hands up to slam into his forehead. "He's still teaching people! People still fall for that ultimate assassin shtick? That guy's not a sword master he's just a massive douche-bag. He builds into your training regimen little holes in yer defenses that he can exploit later on if he has ta fight you, and let me tell you other people can see them too, so his style's practically useless against any other marital artist of any skill. He's all flash, no substance. My old man had me training with him when I was around ten or so fer a few days before he realized what was going on. Even my old man didn't want any part of him." That was more because Zeros method of training was denigrating the art rather than being mortally dangerous to Ranma of course, but that was beside the point. If there was one thing his father had done well it was instill a love of the art for the art's sake in Ranma, whereas Zero simply saw it as a method of getting money something that even his old man had been unwilling at the time to do. Maybe later on he would have, but the moral disintegration that the trip had allowed to grow in him hadn't grown to that extent yet.

All three of the others looked at each other in wild surmise, wondering what the hell they were doing with Zero if he wasn't that good a teacher, something the elders must have realized. If he wasn't supposed to train them, than what were they supposed to be doing? Lydia, the most strategic minded of the three thought maybe they were probably going to just be targets, make a big splash by trying to take out the werecheetah while the clans did something else elsewhere, but she couldn't understand why they would have to come out into the open in the first place, as to the best of her knowledge, no one even knew about the wererat community at all. _Something fishy is going on, _she thought _but we're well out of it now._ Of course she didn't know that many spy agencies the world over did know about her people, but it didn't matter either.

By this point they had reached the mansion's front door and Ranma moved up to knock on it. The trio of rats stood around shuffling their feet a little uneasily, until the door was answered by Séance. "Hey Ranma, what's up, who are these three with you?"

"Hey Séance," Ranma said cheerfully smacking the other young man on the shoulder and nearly bowling them over. "Is Dr. Diggers in? I've got some friends here that might want to talk to him."

Séance nodded and bowed them in. "Head on over to the sitting area, I'll tell him you're here. The master is doing an experiment in his office and you know how much your chaos aura can mess up things if you're in the same room."

Ranma growled a little remembering how he had been turned into some sort of hermaphrodite catgirl, and led the way inside the mansion. As they followed him Romeo and the others were all looking around. Moisha was internally laughing at how ugly some of the art pieces were, and thinking to herself that if she ever had a mansion she would certainly decorate it better. Romeo and Lydia were becoming more and more nervous. Their previous interactions with the rich had been mostly with clan elders, who were not exactly the nicest people. Both of them were wondering where the torture chambers were, though Romeo was half hoping that some form of nubile barely dressed slave girl would serve them drinks at some point.

He turned out to be closer to reality with that hope than he and Lydia were in wondering about a torture chamber, as Genn soon came in carrying a tray of drinks while in his/her female form. As Romeo gaped at the beautiful girl Ranma simply shook his head and laid out on one of the sofas, wondering why the rahkshasa was staying in his female form so often lately. Maybe there was something going on that he should know about, but he didn't really want to at this point.

Moisha promptly sat down next to him and he leaned back, stretching ostentatiously as if she was a little sore, but in reality she just wanted to see Ranma's reaction. She wasn't disappointed as Ranma's eyes seem to track to her chest like a lodestone, and she giggled a little. _This boy is, like way too easy_. She thought to herself laughing a little inside, _though, like, it does explain why she reacted so much when I changed clothes in front of her. I am going to have so much fun with him._

Ranma spent the next few minutes questioning the trio on their 'training' under Zero, which they all answered with varying degrees of openness, ranging from Moisha, very open to Lydia very closemouthed and on guard, still not wholly trusting the odd young man who had killed Gothrain.

After a few minutes Theo came in following Séance, but he stopped abruptly as he saw the three newcomers. "Ranma," he asked softly as he surreptitiously summoned the spell behind his back, "why have you brought three wererats into my house?" The three looked a little alarmed at being ousted so easily, but none of them tried to run for it.

Ranma shrugged. "'cause they might need some help, see we had a bit of a run in about a half hour ago." He went on to explain what had happened, as well as when he had first met Moisha, who he introduced by a wave of his hand.

Theo took one look at the young, violet haired girl and how she was looking at Ranma and shook his head. It seemed as if Ranma's attraction to girls was as strong as ever, he just hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite him or any of his daughters in the future. The rest of Ranma's story however was much more riveting. Theo had run into Gothrain, and it had not been a pleasant experience for either. While Theo had gotten the better of the elder physically, he had been unable to stop his plans to instigate the utter destruction of the werecheetah clan, and was always on the lookout for any information about him, but this was the first he had heard of him in years.

To hear that Gothrain was dead was incredibly good news, but it also had to be verified. The old bastard was a good survivor after all, but if he was even in a weakened state maybe Theo could capture him. Or possibly even kill him. Theo was not a warrior and held all life as sacred, but even he felt there were just some people that had to die. And on that list Gothrain was very near the top. "If you'll excuse me," he said abruptly standing up as Ranma wound down, "I'm going to go check out the scene of this fight, make certain that this elder you mentioned is dead."

With that he ran out and Ranma blinked in surprise. He said, "Maybe they ran into each other at some point. That asshole was definitely the type to grate on someone like the doc."

Séance nodded. "I definitely saw a spike of interest in his aura when you mentioned Gothrain, and there was a sharp spike of happiness when you mentioned he might be dead. Now if you'll excuse me…" with that he bowed out, intending to try to ask Gina out once more.

"Join the $%^&*#$ club said Lydia softly, leaning back. "We all #$%^&* hated the old $%^&*&^#$$%&." Maybe this was going to turn out all right after all. Despite the old guy's being a mage and a little wary of them he seemed to be all right. And if he could help them, maybe set them up someplace in another nation they could get away from the rattafia. Oh, who was she kidding, she knew very well that they had international connections, there was nowhere on Earth that was safe from their reach.

Ranma looked at her a little thrown by all the cursing. "You should watch that mouth of yours. Someone might take offense ya know." He was speaking of Kasumi here, who held **VIEWS** on cursing.

"I don't watch my # %^&&* mouth" she said angrily giving him the finger, "you don't #$%^&* like it go # $% yourself."

Ranma shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He had gone through a little bit of a phase a few months after moving into the Tendo's where he thought that cursing his father out at every opportunity would be a good thing. While Kasumi had applauded his stance toward his father, she had come down on him hard about his choice of words. Ranma had gotten the gist of her displeasure when she dragged him into the bathroom by an ear with a bar of soap determined to wash his mouth out. What Kasumi would do to Lydia and her foul mouth would be… he paused for a moment and leaned back, a little smile on his lips. _I've done my duty warning her in the first place and this might be funny. I just hope I'm there to watch when Kasumi does whatever she's going to do to her._

Moisha's eyebrows rose and she wanted to ask what his sudden smirk was about but she refrained.

Dr. Diggers returned at this point, having flown towards the scene of the battle rather than run or walk as they had. "It does indeed appear that Gothrain is dead. I helped the police clean up the scene, and told them you were all merely defending yourself so there will be no repercussions on that score." He said calmly, looking as if he was talking about the weather while inside he was bubbling over with a bit glee. There was one less person on his 'bastard who I would kill at the first opportunity' list and he hadn't had to do a thing. _ Perhaps I should go to Jade and celebrate with my wife. Or maybe just get a little drunk and imagine what the demons are doing to him down in hell. _ "So what can I do for you?"

Lydia spoke up speaking for the three of them. "We need someplace to &*^%$# hide out where the rest of the #$%^& $% can't find us, with that #$%^&*$&^#$ dead, others are going hunt us down to ^&*%$# kill us for being in the same %&*^#$% area when he died. We also need to figure out how the $%^& he found us so easily."

Theo frowned at her cursing, but nodded in agreement. "A tracking spell could find you anywhere in the world, I'll check for that now if you don't mind." All three of wererats nodded, looking a little disturbed at the idea that someone had placed a spell like that on them. Theo nodded back and with a wave of his hands he passed a bit of magic over all three of them to tell him what active spells were on their persons. He found at least three tracking spells on Romeo, three on Moisha, and ten (!) on Lydia. They also had another active spell placed on them, one that was much older, possibly having been placed on them as early as birth. That one wasn't a tracking spell, but some kind of aversion spell. "Well," he said slowly "you do have a few tracking spells on you. Though for some reason the young lady with the awful mouth has ten, while the other two have each three. There was another spell as well, some kind of aversion spell, though I can't tell what the trigger is."

As the wererats exchanged startled glances at the number of spells on them, as well as wondering what the heck the aversion spell was about, Gina came in looking for Ranma. "Ranma there you are, Séance told me you were here. We're ready to start the briefing about my new archaeology dig, come on let's get back to the house. Who are these three?"

Ranma introduced them, as Theo removed the spells one by one, making certain that none of them had some kind of booby-trap linked to them to go off when they were canceled by someone other than the spell caster. The aversion spell did have a trap built into it, but he dispelled it easily.

Gina had heard of the wererats before, the leader of the werewolves had been very open about the different types of were-beings there were, but she had thought the wererats had been wiped out ages ago. She made a mental not to send her a message about it at some point but at the moment something much more important to her personally had her attention. "So you can turn into a tiny rat? Rats that can, oh just off the top of my head, ignore traps meant for humans, and go through spaces humans couldn't fit through without disturbing anything?"

Moisha nodded. "Yep that's, like, sort of the whole point of our training. like sneaky, sneaky, stabby, stabby, you know?"

Gina stroked her chin thoughtfully "You know, getting our bodyguard to defend you three as you did could have cost him his life, you should really offer up some remuneration for that…"

Ranma interrupted her, glaring at her a little, his voice a low irritated drawl "Gina…."

Gina pouted and then said, "All right fine I'll give you guys of bit of the profits if we make any on this expedition. Someone able to sneak around like that could be really useful in my line of work. This dig can be a bit of a trial run, and if we all get along and you do a great job I'll hire you full-time."

The others looked at one another considering, but Moisha blurted out "20%!"

Gina gaped at her. "20% is highway robbery, 5%!"

Moisha shook her head no. "We, like, we have skills that you need, or else, like, you wouldn't look so intrigued by them, 15%. Before expenses are deducted," she added looking much more like a businesswoman than the valley girl she looked and sounded like most of the time at that moment.

Ranma shook his head, knowing that she and Nabiki would get along great if this was how she acted sometimes. Oh sure, he sensed that the end result she was shooting for was very different than Nabiki's, but the way they went about it their haggling was very similar.

Moisha was simply a girl who knew what she wanted, she wanted a lot, and all of it expensive name brands. Clothing, shoes, jewelry you name it she wanted to be able to buy it. In a very real sense, she was the material girl poster child.

Gina however was a scientist who well knew that the profit she made could be very small sometimes on her digs, and refused to back down, "10% after expenses."

Moisha frowned. "10% before expenses are deducted."

The two looked at one another and Gina nodded slowly. "All right, deal. Moisha nodded and stuck out her hand and the two shook on it.

Ranma smirked. "Good to have you aboard Pinky."

Moisha growled at him and picked up a cup of tea, splashing it in his face. "I wouldn't start on that Red!" Gina laughed while Lydia and Romeo looked at their friend. She was usually not so forward as all that, she usually let Lydia do all the talking, but it seemed as if the offer to be paid cash money had awoken her inner shopper with a vengeance. Lydia was happy for it, as she would probably not have even have thought of haggling, too used to just stealing or being given things.

Still, neither of them were as interested in adventuring as Moisha was. Neither of them honestly were attracted to Ranma, which was one of the main driving forces behind Moisha's interest. Lydia was more worried about the fact that she had so many more tracking spells on her than the other two and really just wanted to get some place safe. And Romeo had no interest in fighting or adventure or anything like that. Sure he was okay with using his rat form as a spy, but that was about the extent of his ambition. They looked at one another and Lydia said, "I think we'd rather find some $%^&*$% place to hide out. Maybe after a few #$%^ years or so of not finding us the rattafia will stop #$%^&%looking for us, and then we can start earning or something."

Gina shrugged. "If you want to be someplace safe and start earning your way, we can get you in touch with Nabiki in Jade. I'm sure she can find a place for two spies in her business dealings and I've never heard of any wererat sighting or anything over there." In fact Gina was more than certain, she was positive than Nabiki would be ecstatic, and the kids would be safe enough in Jade. "Come on," she said, "we can send you through right now."

The three rats looked at one another. They were a little sad about breaking their group, but this sounded like a great idea, and would give them all what they wanted right now, a fresh start, protection and someplace to hide. After a moment of silent communication they all shrugged and followed Ranma and Gina over to Gina's house.

Brittany opened the door to let them in and wasn't surprised to see the two girls Ranma had chased after come back with him, she had assumed there was some trouble brewing somewhere and that Ranma being who he was would have stuck his nose in it. The other young guy she didn't know though. "Hey Ranma, I see you brought home some strays."

The three wererats however were astonished that they weren't running for the hills. As soon as Brittany opened the door and looked at them they should have been completely petrified, yet they weren't. They looked in the one another and Lydia said not even cursing for once "that repulsion spell that the doctor mentioned?" The other two nodded and Lydia frowned even further. She just wasn't certain what the hell was going on with her people anymore or with her and her two friends in particular. Still, they were well out of it now. She knew that the rats had no contacts or agents in Jade, so she and Romeo would be safe there. And Moisha would be with Ranma, and others who could protect her. Lydia was a little sad to see her oversexed friend go, but it wasn't like they weren't going to talk or see one another over again. And to put it bluntly a part of her would be happy to not be around the big breasted girl any longer. She was a little too bubbly, outgoing and way too pretty, and Lydia had to deal with her own body induced insecurities without Moisha rubbing it in just be being nearby. She was a good friend, but she just didn't know what jealousy was, and wouldn't recognize sarcasm if it bit her. And that didn't even mention the number of times the girl had tried to get her drunk…

Brittany continued, waving them all inside. "Who are your new friends, and why do they look so strangely tasty?"

Ranma smacked her on the forehead lightly, "Bad Brittany, no threatening to eat my friends."

Cheetah shook her head, wondering what had come over her and apologized, and the three wererats relaxed a little from the sudden fear that had gripped them. They relaxed so much that when asked they transformed into their regular wererat forms, all three of them breathing a little sigh of relief at the chance to get out of their human bodies despite being around two werecats, who should have been their mortal enemies.

The quartet walked in and Moisha stopped suddenly looking at Brittany.

As Ranma continued to explain what had happened Brittany looked over at the violet haired girl that was staring at her. "Okay," she said, "I understand that our people are supposed to hate one another, and you guys just don't so I won't care about it either, but what the heck are you staring at me for?"

Moisha didn't answer with words, simply reaching forward with both of her hands to grab onto Brittany's breasts and squeeze them. As the werecheetah twitched in surprise she let go and grabbed her own breasts then pouted a little and said "Yours are bigger, but like, mine are fuller." Brittany gaped at her than shook her head, giggling a little. She had done the same thing a few times, though never so abruptly and almost never to complete strangers still it was understandable.

Moisha smirked and turned to Ranma pulling Brittany along with her. "So what do you think Red, which are better?" Brittany laughed at how red Ranma was, despite actually being in female form at the moment.

Ranma groaned. He just knew that this was going to make his life harder in more ways than one. _Why the heck do I have to be a breast man anyway? I mean, I have a set of them all my own a third of the time! _Despite this he could barely turn away from the tantalizing flesh before him, and only succeeded by the thinnest of margins.

Brittany turned back to the others as Romeo finished the tale, asking "so it was only the cheetah's that had this dreaded stare, and that didn't make any of you think that something was fishy? I mean Ranma can turn into a cat form and he doesn't scare you, does he?"

The trio of rats looked at one another and Moisha turned to her friend. "You like, have a cat form, you never said. Can we see it?"

Ranma shrugged and changed forms, not remembering the effect his pheromones had on unsuspecting females. A second later he was hit by a violet haired missile who was screaming "Ohmygod, so freaking hot!"

* * *

Julia looked up from where she was sitting in a tavern going over the list of ceremonies she would have to officiate once she got to the capital city. She honestly wasn't looking forward to most of it, but it was part and parcel or being the Armsmaster, and that was a source of honor to her that she would do her utmost to uphold.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a very familiar voice hailed her from the doorway of the bar. "There you are daughter! Looking forward to your first tournament as Arms- master?"

Julio looked up and grinned wildly leaping to her feet and rushing forward to hug her mother. "Mom, I haven't seen you in months! How are you?"

Brunhildgarde Brigand smiled hugging the younger woman back. "Oh, this and that, dealing with a bit of issue with the Amazons as a neutral party actually. They were contacted by their earth born relatives to help them hunt down a wayward husband, someone you seem to know, and going by one of their representative here in the frontier. Is a young man named Ranma living with you?"

Julia frowned. She had been a little worried about this for a while, and just hoped that the Jade Amazons had more sense than to get involved with the Earth ones and their rather bizarre hang-up about Ranma. The boy was damn good, and his potential was huge, but that was no reason to use such dishonorable tactics to bring him to heel. "Yes he is and I have to tell you that he doesn't think much about any Amazons, and I can't say I blame him given what he said about how they acted during their hunt for him."

Brunhildgarde waved that away. "In a way I think it was a mixture of senility and a young rather insulated and naïve person needing to get away. I've talked to the youngster in question quite a few times since I was called in to mediate and been impressed by her combat ability, but not her common sense or knowledge of the world around her. I've taken her under my wing, just to see if I can make something of her and I'm pleased with the progress we've made so far. In fact, she's here in the city with me. She'll be my guest at the tournament, because I want her to see that there are far more powerful and more dangerous fighters out there that aren't female."

Julia shrugged, not even bothering to hide her relief. "As long as she isn't still pursuing Ranma I don't have a problem with that, and I don't think he will either, he's actually already signed up for the tournament you know, and I'm a little interested to see how far he gets."

Brunhildgarde laughed a little. "She never was, not really, she just thought it was funny to use the magic items and when she listed a few that she could have used instead that her elder, an ancient old prune of a woman named Cologne, suggested I could see her point, though a few of them were still extremely dangerous. More than any kind of attraction Shampoo felt for the young man in question, she just wanted to get away and the adventures they went on was the most fun she had ever had. Well, until she arrived in Jade at least. The Amazons on Earth inhabit a very small area, and here she's been able to expand and grow much better and further than she would have back there. It's been pleasant to watch, even if only secondhand."

Julia nodded, that she was still a little concerned how the two would act when they met up again. She moved over to her table, with her mother following her. "What about the Elder, what happened to her?"

"Oh her," Mumsy's face scrunched up with disgust. "I ruled against her, she was far too interested in Ranma. She never even realized Shampoo really wasn't interested in Ranma, more she had destroyed several magical items, and completely ignored her position as Matriarch to continue chasing him. She tried to attack Do-Jin, the Amazon frontier representative, and I knocked her out rather easily. She is now imprisoned and will remain a prisoner for at least two years." The fact the old woman would probably die in that amount of time did not matter at all to her, or to the Amazons. It might have mattered to Shampoo, as the woman was her great grandmother, but she hadn't yet noticed that Cologne was missing. "But enough about me, tell me about our family, how is everyone doing?"

Julia sighed. "Mom, I've got something to tell you."

"Does this have anything to do with the cancellation I received about the wedding?" Brunhildgarde asked her eyes going hard and one hand reaching over to touch the pommel of her sword where it was leaning against the table. If some little low life had stood up one of her granddaughters at the altar they had better be very good at running and hiding or else she would hunt them down and use their balls to make a new wallet.

"Well, it does, but it was really no one's fault. You see, it went like this…" Julia began.

* * *

At the same time that Mumsy Brigand and Julia were meeting, Shampoo had hunted down the café advertising ice cream she had first seen when they entered Seer's hamlet. It was one of the few things that she missed from Earth, and if she could have it here on Jade then she would truly have the best of both worlds. Having politely told the waiters that she would rather wait and order once she got inside she waited in line for about 20 minutes before opening the door to Silver Heaven and then stopped in astonishment at seeing the one she had called homemaker walking around smiling happily and talking to everyone in the place. "Kasumi!" she gasped, her eyes wide, "what are you doing here in Jade?" All around her she noticed some of the people sitting down and a few workers looking at her, some dwarves in particular were looking concerned.

Kasumi looked up at the familiar voice calling out to her and for a moment she frowned. But then a contemplative look came over her as she stared at Shampoo. Kasumi, with that insight that made her who she was realized that young Amazon had changed quite a bit since the last time they had seen each other two and a half months ago. She seemed to stand a little less proud but far more certain, though Kasumi would be hard-pressed to say what it was about her that told her the difference between the two feelings, but it could be likened to a young well trained but untried soldier to that of a veteran still in his prime. Either way, she also seemed to be more intelligent, or at least was no longer hiding her intelligence. Kasumi had always known that Shampoo was smarter than she let on with her strange accent, so the fact that she was speaking English normally didn't surprise her. And she had also dressed down, at least a little (she was wearing a bra, something she never did in Nerima), and her bonbori both looked warn and dented. "Hello Shampoo," she said calmly. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit for a seat, we're always a bit busy, but someone will be with you in a moment."

Shampoo shrugged and moved off to lean against the wall nearby. "That's all right, I'm in no rush. And before you ask, no I'm not still chasing after Ranma. It took me a while to realize, but I don't think I ever really was, not for marriage at least."

"In that case," said a familiar caustic voice from the kitchen as Nabiki came through the doorway to look at her, a little bit of magical power forming in the form of ice around her fingers, "you might be a little more welcome here. I get the impression we've all got stories to share, so sit and wait until the crowd has died down a bit, and we'll join you then."

Shampoo nodded, looking a little worriedly back at the other girl worried and more than a little surprised at the magical power the other girl was showing. It seemed she wasn't the only one who had gotten stronger since they last saw eachother, and a mage was always a tricky opponent in a fight. She had only met a few of them since coming into Jade, but she well knew how tough they were going by the stories her Amazon sisters had told her. She resolved to watch her words very carefully around Nabiki, well more carefully than she always had before. Before of course only her wallet was in danger, now it looked like the rest of her might be in danger as well. Still, it looked as if that story they were going to share with her would be even more interesting than she had previously thought and she settled down for a long wait.

* * *

It took a while for the girls to get control of themselves, with Moisha in particular having issues given the attraction she had already been feeling toward the aquatranssexual. Lydia was able to control herself almost immediately, not having felt much of any attraction to the man before that (and not having much of a libido either). Brittany having as much trouble controlling her reaction to his pheromones was a bit of a surprise. Ranma had seen her nearly jumping towards him as well before stopping, and he had had to look away to not look at the two very visible signs of her arousal poking from inside her shirt. Moisha had been bad enough without that being added to it, and Ranma had been forced to sit down and cross his legs to avoid anyone seeing his visible reaction to her and Sheila. The werejaguar had jumped on him despite having seen his werecat form before as she hadn't been subjected to his pheromones and had been completely blindsided by them. Her embarrassment after he turned back to his male human form had been tremendous, and she had literally glowed red in the face for several minutes, yet she hadn't let go of one of his hands while Moisha sat on his other side.

Brittany looked at this picture and wondered why she felt a little jealous before shaking it off, remembering times she had spent cuddling with Strype and turning away sadly.

Gina coughed gently at the center of the room getting all of their attention and began to give them a little debriefing about the archaeology dig they were going to be on. The rest of them simply drowned her out, not really interested in the details, only knowing that they would need to travel by plane, something that Sheila was not looking forward to, and Moisha was wondering what kind of class they would be traveling as. The two of them kept on glaring at one another from their places on opposite sides of Ranma he wondered what the hell was going to happen there. It didn't seem to be the sort of glare that said violence was imminent, just more measuring up sort of thing. He sighed wondering what was going to happen when Moisha met Kasumi and Nabiki, but he followed the others out to the Gina-mobile which they would take to meet up with Ace at the nearest airport.

Before this however they led Lydia and Romeo through the portal with Séance to guide them as he had business in Jade, and Theo, who was going to spend some time with his wife (he had decided to do that rather than celebrate Gothrain's passing by himself). However they would not be the only immigrants to Jade that day, and the other would be far less welcome.

* * *

Master Leap was the master of the Leap School of martial arts, and was renowned throughout Jade as one of its greatest martial arts masters, despite not being one of the Ten, an honor he had no wish to take on. After all, one of the Ten had a certain image to maintain, and his perversions and activities with his acolytes would have been frowned upon if he had been such an important figure. They were still frowned upon of course, but he wasn't important enough for anyone else important to take notice of them.

He may be old, but he was still sharp and so it came as no surprise that he reacted swiftly when screams of rage, embarrassment and fury began to be heard from outside his room's window. He crossed the distance between his desk and the window swiftly and was looking out the window to see what the commotion was within a second of hearing the noise. The acolytes outside, all girls of course, were shouting and screaming at some little thing moving around between and around and at times under them, its tiny hands grasping.

"Whatever is the matter!" he shouted out the window.

One of the acolytes turned and yelled back "Master, some kind of little troll has gotten in and he's trying to steal all our underwear!"

Leap paused a moment imagining all the girls below him wearing the outfits he had designed for his acolytes without any underwear beneath it. He briefly had a nosebleed before he got it under control again, but by this time the little troll had spotted him and had jumped up to his window. "Leap old boy!" it said happily in a voice from an era that Leap had tried his best to forget. "How are you doing? Such a nice place you have, though you needn't have bothered with all of these beauties just from your old master! Six or so and lots of their silky darlings would have done just fine for me!"

Leap gaped at the apparition in front of him and then put his head in his hands as the shouts and screams below redoubled. "Hello Master Happosai," he said in a droning, dull and defeated tone of voice. "How are you?"

* * *

End chapter.

It's a bit of a filler chapter this one, with all the characters getting to know one another and sort of joining together into different group, but I really was having an issue with writing out the next real adventure for Gina and her group. Should I go directly into the next adventure where they meet up with Pee-wee and his group, or should I try to find GD special that dealt with their first brush with beta technology? I haven't had much luck of finding it for free online, and I honestly have no money to buy it anywhere. If anyone can tell me some details about it, that would be great, but otherwise it'll be straight into the other adventure, and I'll have to think of some way to explaining the lack of beta technology up to that point. I'm also setting up two different adventures in Jade that will be running concurrently to Gina and company going on this dig, so that will be kind of tough to keep straight. Still, hope you all like the humor I was able to inject quite a lot of into this chapter, as I wanted this and the chapter previous just to sort of work against the seriousness of Brittany breaking up with Strype in the previous one.

As always, read and review and see you in two weeks.


	20. Chapter 19 Everyone's Having Adventures!

I don't own Gold Digger or Ranma.

I wish to announce that this story's updates will now be moved back to Saturday to join Chaotic Space, RL in the week is getting abysmal, hence why this chapter came out today rather than yesterday.

Normally I would respond to some reviews here, but I just don't have time today if I want to post this chapter, so that will wait for the next one.

I decided to attack each portion of this chapter one at a time rather than mix them up, so tell me what you all think of it. I also felt that the shadows that were mentioned to have controlled Jade in the past were the same ones that appeared with the beta-tech, so they will be treated a little differently. Oh, Ranma's element will again be important, but it will be explained why it has the effect it has next chapter. It is not a gary stue power, there is a reason behind it!

* * *

**Chapter 19 Everyone's having adventures!**

Séance, Genn and Theo showed Romeo and Lydia around Seer's Hamlet for a time before introducing them to Kasumi and Nabiki. Kasumi simply waved them on, being very busy with the dinner hour rush in the café though this didn't stop her from noticing that as had become usual around Séance Genn had taken its female form. She resolved to speak to the other girl (even after living with Ranma she was still sometimes confused as to how to address the Rahkshasa) later.

Romeo was tempted to stop and flirt with the gorgeous and kind looking girl, but the sight of three werecats looking at the two of them with their heads cocked to one side licking their lips had him rushing after Lydia. The werecats couldn't figure out what race the two newcomers were, since the wererat clan was but a legend among their people, but they did look tasty.

Theo introduced the two of them to Nabiki who was at her desk going over some of her notes before leaving right after that to seek out his wife. The quoted prices being asked for some of the warehouses nearby wasn't really what she was looking for, but she figured that they would start to plummet, or she would be making more money in a few weeks anyway and might order her own to be built on the edge of the hamlet. Right now was the trade season in Seers Hamlet, which was for all intents and purposes a thriving frontier town. It didn't create a lot beyond the bare essentials in any large quantity, but new goods were coming in from the more developed interior cities of the different countries of Jade. In return raw materials flowed back along those roads from Seer's Hamlet and the werecat territories beyond it.

Winter however, would be setting in soon, and then she would start to charge even more for warm foods from Earth. Pizza for example, she could see already was going to be a major hit, and possibly French fries and other fried foods, which she hadn't seen here yet, though she would have to overcome Kasumi's disapproval of such foods first… yes perhaps just stick to pizza. More, it was something they could make here in quantity. It was merely the fact the recipe hadn't crossed over with the inhabitants that had stopped pizza from making the jump. Nor was she even going to try to control the spread of it. That kind of competition would be good for business down the road. That and some warm Japanese foods, like octopus balls and other things would see them through the winter and possibly even increase their profits even if the ice cream demand fell.

Her long term plans had also begun to take shape, and in as little as a month she wanted to be in position to start a new restaurant in a new city someplace else on Jade, just to test the waters so to speak. It remained to be seen which would be more profitable, figuring out a way to ship their goods around and work with local merchants to sell them, or open other restaurants and sell their food that way. Both would be expensive but not impossible as well.

That desire was why she was now staring at Romeo and Lydia as if they were made of solid gold. "Let me get this straight," she said softly. "You two have been trained as spies and assassins? You're good at sneaking?" Both of them nodded. "And you can change into a rat form and blend into any kind city anywhere in the world that way?"

Romeo and Lydia looked at one another, wondering why the girl sounded so ecstatic, but they nodded again.

"Exxxxxcellent" she said stapling her fingers and tapping them together. _Must remember to do something nice to Ranma, he's sent me my own ninjas. _ "All right I think we can use you two here." She then leaned back wondering where to begin to describe what their duties were going to be. "You were told about my new business here, correct?" They both nodded again. "Well, here on Jade anything from Earth is looked at a little askance. The werecat clans, the elves, the mages and all the rest came here because science and technology was starting upon Earth and crowding magic out. Well that and religions that were preaching against anything that was different. So anything created by science or any kind of industry is a big no-no here. Thus, the food I'm bringing in from Earth is looked on askance because of that origin. Certain people, well some group or other has been pushing me to give them incentives shall we say."

Romeo spoke up. "So are we talking like a protection racket here?"

Nabiki laughed aloud. "Not yet, certainly never in this city," she said gaily. "Let's just say that the criminal element of this city has a died in a global death. She had heard from Ranma about what power her sister had, and it hadn't really surprised her. Their house back in Nerima had been damaged, broken, and smashed in the fights about Ranma, but broken into? Stolen from? None of that ever occurred to their family except in relation to Ranma or Genma's things (or Happosai's), and even Ranma's rivals and ex-fiancée's new to stay around and help repair what they had destroyed, or at least pay for it (save Ryoga). She shook her head. _It must be a day for newcomers, _she thought to herself, _first Shampoo and now these two_.

She and Kasumi had taken a few hours before the rush hour to talk to Shampoo and both of them had been astonished by the change in the other girl. She had seemed to grow up overnight from their perspective, leaving aside the childishness of her chase after Ranma and her rather stupid accent and immersing herself into the culture of her people here on Jade. She talked of her people with pride rather than the false bravado, the facade of pride that had been there before. She seemed a little more serious, but still fun loving and obviously had come to love Jade as her new home, almost as much as Kasumi though in a far different way. In Japan she had always seemed as if she was a square peg in a round hole but here she fit in easily. The only thing she missed, she lamented was her bike. Kasumi promised to look into buying one for her and bringing it across, and Shampoo had gleefully hugged the older girl. She wanted to introduce biking to all of her sisters as she thought that maybe with a few off-road bikes they could replace the quick reaction force, which at this point was using horses. Bikes would allow them to patrol their territories much easier, and they wouldn't have to spend so much time training on horsewomanship. The fact that the horses had all taken one look at her and refused to let her near them had nothing at all to do with this desire, whatever her sister Tsun-Tsun said.

"Anyway," she said returning to the here and now, "for the most part the next few months or so your jobs will be purely onto the defensive side. I'll send you to various warehouses or other establishments to listen in on conversations that may or may not be about us. I've already got a bit of a spy network set up, but if you're as good as you seem I'll use you as special investigators and leaders in the future. Eventually however we will be taking on organized crime in other cities, and I refuse to be browbeaten into paying protection money or be bullied into anything!" _I was a little too close to going down that road myself before._ "I'll be hiring other people to protect our shipments, but it'll be your job to help me pinpoint the leaders of any criminal organizations, and after that well I've got friends in the local Ranger and guards. Now, what can you tell me about yourselves?"

That discussion continued for a time, with Lydia taking the lead as team leader for a time but that ended abruptly when Kasumi joined them sitting down next to her sister leaning her head tiredly against her shoulder. The first curse coming out of Lydia's mouth after she sat down brought a frown to her face. "Cursing isn't really necessary, you know," she said rather mildly. "It doesn't show anything but how crude you are. Please don't."

Lydia opened her mouth to curse her out and suddenly, one of the legs of the chair she was sitting in broke, dumping her on the floor. The vile-mouthed wererat tried to curse again at that and nearly stabbed herself on a splinter from the wreckage when she put her hand down. She tried to get up and tried to curse again only to trip as the floorboard beneath her gave just slightly enough to throw off her balance. She tried to curse again, and a heavy paperweight fell off the table almost onto her head.

Wondering what was going on Lydia got to her feet at last refraining from cursing. But being unable to curse made her unable to really talk. She had to pause every few minutes to erase the curse from her sentence before she could speak it. Thus Romeo took center stage talking about their life before they arrived here, and talking a bit about their training, though he didn't mention their worries about having been set up for something, a decision that he and Lydia had reached via sign language during their walk around the city, not until they could confirm that their training was useless against a trained fighter. Right now they only had Ranma's word about Zero's training being useless.

Nabiki decided to give them a few lessons on note taking, or perhaps a spell that would allow them to remember everything while on a job. Still and all she thought these two were a godsend for her business and especially for her spy network. With the two of them she'd finally be able to push out into other cities, and when she did that her business could follow. _Yes, _she reflected as Kasumi began to ask some questions about their diet, _I'll have to do something very nice for Ranma when I next see him. Need to remember to practice on some cucumbers,_ she thought smirking a little saucily.

* * *

Brianna and the Edge Guard raced through the rest of that day, that night and well into the next day, crossing an amazing amount of distance and were already near the area they wanted to get to. Werecats had far more endurance than humans did normally, and were far faster running than dwarves or any of the other races, thus could run at far greater speeds for a longer amount of time. Brianna had surprised herself by keeping up with them the entire time, despite the fact that she hadn't actually trained for endurance running, but she supposed it came from running so often with Brittany.

One of the thieves that they had captured (and had been able to put away, despite the judge's interference) had given them some information about a small slaving contingent that was going to hit some farms around a werepanther settlement in the next few days, which had given them just enough time to get there. This raid was going to be a quick snatch and grab, and would consist of at least thirty slavers, all professionals. This obviously was a big risk for them thought, and Onoli once more wondered who was paying so much for mages. The panthers were the least warlike of the werecat clans, but they were also the sneakiest, and their militia force was formidable on its own territory, especially at night. So the slavers would have to turn around and get as far away as possible before nighttime, or they would almost certainly be found by their pursuers.

The thief didn't know where they were heading either to or from exactly, but he knew the direction they would be going and Onoli and Thropan led them to a hidden little area from where they could find their trail the next day.

While Brianna fiddled with a few of her peebos the others set up camp hiding it so that no one could find them during the night. Thropan covered their back trail, making certain that no one could find any trace of them so that their targets wouldn't be warned of their presence that way while Tirga and Gar hid their camp and Onoli climbed a tree to keep watch.

Their dinner that night, much to the joy of everyone involved had been boxed lunches prepared by Kasumi. Well, except for Onoli, whose boxed lunch had had a rather salacious message written out on the rice from Alia. As they all needed to be at their best tomorrow the rest of them they prepared for sleep while Thropan took first watch. He was the most anxious to capture the slavers if they were returning with captives, these were his people after all.

Tirga tried to make his way over to Brianna only to stop as the weird little gadget thing that she had been tinkering with zoomed along the forest floor toward him with some kind of weapon on top of it that looked like some kind of preloaded wand, the tip flaring. He backed up quickly asking, "What's that?"

"Oh that," Brianna said smirking as she set another similar one down and it zoomed over to join its fellow, "These are my anti-pervert peebos. They have, well they fire off a kind of lightning attack we call a tazer shot. Consider them anti-perv Golem's with 'lightning spells' coming out of the wand on top." She had quite a few more specially designed peebos, all of them able to pass as childish looking golems. Who knew, she might just start a trend. She could see kids liking little golems the size of her peebos, and parents would love to have something like that equipped with a few defensive spells.

The flirtatious weretiger backed off and Brianna and snuggled into her warm sleeping bag laughing a little at the chagrin plain on his face, along with a bit of fear at her technological weapons. Obviously all of the Edge Guard knew where her weapons really came from and were okay with it. The others simply accepted them but Thropan was very interested in them, and had questioned Brianna as much as he could on their run here about them.

Brianna sighed a little, but there as a smile on her face as she turned away from the others. She missed Ranma and the others a little, but this had already proven to be a lot of fun. The jokes she shared with Gar, Thropan and even Tirga as they ran along appeal to Herb greatly, and she loved it here on Jade, it was so wild and untamed. Out of the Amazon rainforest and a few other areas on Earth she couldn't think of a place she could have run through as hard and as long as she did these past two days and not run into other people or civilization in some manner.

Tirga however was getting on her nerves. Every 15 minutes or so on the run he'd flirted with her, despite being shot down constantly and the obvious irritation of the others. They all seemed resigned to it though thinking it was just Tirga being Tirga, and Brianna just kind of tried to roll with it but it was still very irritating. Still at least he was leaving her alone now, and knowing her peebos were there to guard her she fell asleep easily.

The next day Brianna woke up stretching happily in the gray light of dawn while Gar, who had looked over at her from his spot as guard with a smile for their newest member, froze in shock. Finishing her stretch she noticed his stare and asked "What's wrong Gar?" As nice and hunky as the werejaguar was she wasn't interested in him, and hoped his staring didn't indicate his crush had somehow transferred from Brittany to her. that would be both irritating and insulting.

"Um, Brianna, since when are you a full werecheetah?" Gar asked, a question that drew the others over to look save Tirga, who had been sent out to scout the area.

Brianna blinked then looked down at herself, and let out with Gina's most well-used exclamation.

"Good googily moogily!" Indeed, she had changed into a full werecheetah. She now resembled a cross between Sheila and Brittany. She was a cheetah with her sister's spots, but her size was much more like her friends. "I wonder what the heck happened? This is the second time I've run into issues like this, hmmm…" the others all shrugged in ignorance and then decided to ignore it for now. It wasn't like it was an issue really, and this way she was less likely to draw attention her way anyway.

About fifteen minutes later Tirga returned, and Brianna learned why the others respected him so much despite his flirtatious ways and wandering eyes. Tigers were the werecat clan that had no sense of smell, and Tirga's senses were among the best in the Edge Guard. He and Thropan were the groups trackers, and he was able to smell out the slaver's trail despite their having covered it so much that even Thropan couldn't find a physical trail to follow.

The Edge Guard swiftly made up the distance between their hiding place and the slavers, finding them just as they were about to enter what was known as Dead Lands, a wasteland inhabited mostly by ghouls and other undead that Brianna had seen on her first trip to Jade, when she and Gina had been captured by the powerful (and perverted) undead knight Rook. As they looked down from a rocky outcropping at the slavers moving along the desert below them she muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Onoli. "I wonder if these guys are working with Rook."

The werelion grimaced at the thought, Rook was an irritating customer to deal with, his ability to bring the undead to life and his already large undead horde made him a customer no one will really want to mess with. He wasn't powerful enough to go on the attack, but he could certainly protect his own territory and had it was rumored he had other powerful connections elsewhere in Jade, let alone his history of working with the Undead Realm and the vampires there. More he was personally very skilled, and he had been hearing rumors about some kind of magical armor Rook wore that made him deadly in a fight. _Why would he be working with slavers? Specifically, why would he work with this group with their rather specific targets?_

The slavers had not hit some random farmsteads as had been expected, they had hit one of the few mage towers in the area. Were-mages were very few and very far between, and this one was a bit of a weak specimen, but still he should've been able to put up a much better fight.

Indeed, they would later learn that the mage himself had repulsed the attack from his tower, but four of his apprentices had been outside of the tower when it occurred and were captured and taken away. After all to the slavers one mage was pretty much like another.

They found the group of slavers pushing hard, about twenty of them all told, with five prisoners, four of them wearing mage robes and the last a werepanther Ranger trainee judging from her uniform and the marking on her shoulder.

About four hours later the group reached what looked like some kind of waypoint ahead of them, joining up with a few other groups of similar size, all of which had their own group of prisoners. Brianna looked over at the leader from where they had once more taken refuge above them on a rocky pillar. "How are we going to do this?"

Onoli frowned in thought, looking from their cover, the open ground they would have to travel and where the prisoners were. "Can you open up on them from here, let us get in close? Don't aim for them, just confuse the hell out of them?"

Brianna grinned. "You want chaos, you got it!"

She pulled out one of her prototype cannons, and with a loud yell of "bombarda maxima" (a 'spell she had modified from a certain line of popular books back on Earth) shot several fireworks into the air a few feet above the slavers. Well they looked like fireworks, but from the fire works fell modified versions of her peebos, each of them armed with tazers and trailing knockout gas from under their chassis as they came down on the ground.

The slavers scattered some of them trying to haul the captives away while others simply gaped and others ran away. Tirga and Thropan immediately broke into a run racing in to save the prisoners, while Onoli took the fight to the slavers with Gar right beside him.

This was the work slavers worst nightmare. Five groups had congregated here to split up the goods. The mages would go further into the Dead Lands to Rook, who would then transfer them to the person who was after them. The others were to be taken deeper into the settled territories via a river route, broken and then sold later on.

Against fifty super slavers even the Edge Guard would have been hard-pressed, but against fifty surprised disorganized and disoriented slavers who were already losing members to Brianna's little toys and they didn't stand much of a chance.

Brianna jumped town, bringing out her specially prepared pistols, shouting out "Rifela!" and blasting away at a few slavers who had tried to grab a few of the youngest prisoners and sprit them off. Her three targets fell back, their faces smoking as if they had been hit by the fire arrow spell, then she turned her attention to directing her peebos around. Many of the prisoners gazed at her in awe at the amount of control she exhibited over her cute little 'golems'. This and the tale that would spring from it would result in her earning a new title in Jade, the golem princess, and her fame would travel far and wide, soon to be joined by other legends. Not that Brianna knew it at the time, or that she would have cared voer much, she was having far too much fun.

Tirga slashed down one slaver and hammered another with his fist, standing over one of the prisoners who had fallen to the ground as she attempted to escape and taking on all comers. Thropan did the same for the group they had been following most of that day, while Gar and Onoli were practically everywhere, jumping around hammering the slavers under with their special weapons. One of the group they had been following tried to escape, and the leader made his way over to Brianna through the fight. "Tag that one!" he said, pointing out the one that was running away. "He looks a little better dressed than the others and might lead us further up the line!" Brianna nodded swiftly taking out another weapon and pointing it at him, muttering something under her breath and something small sped out smacking into his back, though with nowhere near enough force to make him notice it.

A few minutes later Gar slew the last of the leaders still there and the slavers began to throw down their weapons and surrender.

Brianna had to be firmly told not kill a few of them, the ones who had been found near the females prisoners in particular, a few of whom had all been fighting with their pants down, showing what they had intended to do. When she found out that those slavers would be given back to those very same women she smiled and watched what happened to them while the rest of the Edge Guard all looked away queasy.

Thropan however was worried as he released a few of the mages. "Why are they after mages?" he muttered. "This is the tenth group we've seen in the past month that were going after mages." Admittedly it was the only group that had actually succeeded, all the others had been in Seers Hamlet and had been found and detained before or after they grabbed their target with relative ease. But the fact one such group had originally contained Weaponsmaster G'nolga worried him, as that pointed out someone with a hell of a lot pf pull or cash, maybe both. He decided to get in touch with Nabiki as soon as they got back, her growing spy network would be incredibly helpful figuring out what was going on.

The others though were not concerned at the moment with that, and soon neither was he. The female werecats were very grateful after all and both Thropan and Tirga found themselves the objects of their attentions that night, after a band of werepanther Rangers took their prisoners off their hands. Brianna and Gar and Onoli on the other hand shook their heads and moved off with the kids and other prisoners, with Brianna using some of her peebos to play with the kids, further cementing her new legend.

* * *

Sheila was not enjoying her first flight in a plane. Despite Ace being one of if not the best pilot in the world, his name was not synonymous with a slow and gentle journey. She made no bones about her displeasure, and had basically clung onto Ranma since they had lifted off. Ranma was swift to comfort her, and the small werejaguar nuzzled into his chest purring contentedly as he stroked her back. Moisha sitting next to him pouted a little and Sheila merely grinned at her, sticking out her tongue a little so that Ranma wouldn't notice.

Brittany simply giggled a little thinking that the two of them made a cute couple and wondering if Sheila would join Brianna and the two Tendo's in being with Ranma. For a moment though she had a vision of curling up in his lap, her breasts level with his head and her own head thrown back as he did **something** to them but she shook it off, wondering where the hell it came from.

To take her mind off the erotic vision she struck up a conversation with Moisha, and soon found out that she and the big breasted wererat had quite a lot in common. Not only did they both love shopping, their taste in clothing was similar, though their taste in shoes was not. Moisha preferred high heels, while Brittany hated them with a passion. After all, it wasn't like she needed to look any taller, and they just didn't feel right on her feet. The argument over which was sexier however went on for some time. They eventually decided that they would need to ask a man's opinion. When asked to volunteer Ranma did so without actually realizing what he had volunteered for, not having listened at all to the conversation being too busy with Sheila. This would come back to haunt him later, but in a good way.

Finally Sheila seemed to recover enough composure to move off Ranma's lap and he looked over at Brittany. "So where exactly are we going on this trip?"

Brittany chuckled and looked up toward the cockpit of the plane to make sure that her older sister hadn't heard. "You didn't listen at all to her lecture did you Ranma?"

"Not a bit of it!" he said cheerfully. "All I heard was it wasn't a new place, that she and Penny had been there before. When she started to rant about showing up some Tomb Raider or other on this trip I stopped listening."

"Probably a good move" Brittany said shaking her head. "She has had this mad-on for a Laura since she got the archaeologists prize last year when it should've gone to Gina. But yeah the place we're going to is a city built by an ancient civilization that Gina calls the Saurians."

Moisha perked up and that raising her hand into the air like a student asking a question. "Saurian, like dinosaurs?" When they all looked at her in surprise she huffed a little. "Like, I'm not just a mall rat okay? I did read some dinosaur books when I was younger, besides," she grinned a little, "the idea of, like, transforming into something that could stomp on all your enemies like a big dino was always fun."

Sheila and Brittany laughed while Ranma simply nodded. There'd been quite a few times when he would like to transform into something larger and more deadly than his redheaded female form. These days he had resigned himself to have it, and even begun to accept it, but the idea of changing into a giant dinosaur called to the little boy in him. The idea of suddenly transforming into a T Rex and Ryoga's head off after the pig showed up again (which Ranma knew he would eventually, Ryoga was like a bad penny) really appealed.

Brittany went on, "they apparently died out in some kind of war against something from the 'dark dimension' or something like that. I don't really understand it all. The important thing though is that Gina and Penny found something called beta technology, which is some of the most advanced stuff that Gina has ever found."

Ranma nodded and went back to stroking Sheila's head where it rested against one shoulder. "Why aren't we heading back to the place we were before, the one with the giant lizard I fought?" Ranma crack the knuckles on the hand that wasn't on Sheila's head before forming a fist. "I'd love a crack at that guy again."

Brittany shook her head at his battle crazy attitude. "We still haven't figured out a way through that shield it put up yet. We couldn't get into the city at all yet, though I know that Gina does want to go back there someday."

Ranma shrugged, then leaned back again. "Don't suppose anybody brought any cards or anything?"

Brittany grinned and pulled out two Gintendo DS from her weapons space. "I will win back my Final Combat crown if it's the last thing I do!" she declared and she flung one of the handheld devices at him.

He caught it with his free hand, and said simply "bring it on."

By the time they landed all three of the earthborn had been beaten by Sheila in a surprise upset. Sheila had a very simple way of playing the game once she figured out the controls (and what the hell they were). She picked out the character with the longest legs, and then did her utmost to pain her enemy back in a corner and just kick them to death. Surprisingly the tactic worked, the moment she was able to pin anyone in either corner of the screen they couldn't get out. Ranma in particular was irritated by this, as it didn't seem like a really valid tactic, but that didn't change the fact that he lost.

When the group exited the plane they found the site looked nothing at all but several dozen holes in the ground. There was no hint that the city had ever been above ground, in fact if you dind't know there was something there it would simply look like another cave in the desert and Ranma wondered if this was a city at all or some kind of military installation. An underground city would be damn hard to attack after all.

It took them about an hour to set up a base camp then Gina, Ranma and the others headed further into the underground city to meet up with Penny, Ryan and Charlotte.

About halfway to their destination deeper into the city Brittany paused and turned back. "Darn it, I forgot the munchies, you guys go ahead, I'll be right back."

"Now hold on," said Gina, "I don't anyone else going around here by themselves, even you Brit. I know you could catch up with us easy, but anything could happen here."

"Like I'll go with her," said Moisha, transforming into her rat form. She scampered up Ranma's leg, then jumped from his head onto Brittany's who flinched a little, then quieted down. "Like, I could do with some munchies too."

Sheila frowned a little. Were-people like her and the other two used a lot more energy than a normal human being, and she could do with something to eat to, but if she went with them, that left only Ranma to guard Gina. Gina frowned again, but nodded. "Stay together you two, I don't like anything about this place."

Brittany nodded and the two were-people made their way back the way they had come.

* * *

As they neared the entrance and the base camp, they heard the whir of a helicopter outside the cavern. Sharing a glance the two started to hide, with Moisha scampering down and away to hide in the bushes along the entrance while Brittany hid in a little crevasse by the base camp.

A large transport helicopter touched down as she watched, and its doors opened to reveal the Montara twins, swiftly followed by the twerp and his pet mage. Brittany frowned, _how the heck do they know about this place_? She grabbed a walkie-talkie and talked into it saying "Gina, we've got a little issue out here. The telepathic twins just showed up along with Pee-Wee and his goons."

* * *

_Brother Dear…_

_I know we have an admirer from far. But Brittany is of no concern to us, not while such_ tremendous_ traffic energy beckons._

_All of that delicious invigorating psychic power, and all of it emanating from Penny's discovery below. Even from here it tingles._

_Indeed, we must hurry to claim it for our own, with it we will be the most powerful physics on the planet by far! Let our erstwhile allies thugs deal with the werecheetah and the others, we are here for other things._

* * *

Thanks to their new device that Penny and Gina had devised to offset the anti-communication aspects of the walls of the Saurian city, the radio was able to reach the group inside, which responded quickly. Gina's voice came back almost immediately. "Don't worry, Ryan, came out to meet us here, we're sending Ranma back to you. This place is, well the tech is like a land mine Brit, we've got to keep them the hell way from ti, who knows what they could do accidentally!"

However, The Montara twins were not the only ones who had noticed Brittany watching them, Daishi had also noticed, and had snuck up behind Brittany. The only thing that gave him away was Brittany's nose and the fact that he used a very distinctive cologne called 'old ninja'. Don't ask how Brittany knew it, it was simply on sale one time and she had sniffed it to see if it was any good. She swiftly used her tail to grab one his legs and pulled it out from under him. Brittany briefly wondered where Moisha had got into, but it wasn't like she needed to help against this punk. "Finally got out of the physical rehab for that spinal injury I gave you, huh big guy? Did you like the flowers and get well soon card I sent you? You do know you're supposed to send a reply back to those right?"

The ninja ignored her banter, simply snarling "you have improved! Good, my honor could not be restored if you had gotten fat and lazy after you last defeated me! This time you'll be the one left broken and beaten!"

Brittany yawned showing her contempt of his statement but her amusement faded quickly as the ninja closed the distance between them faster than she had ever seen him move before. A hard chop lashed out catching her in the jaw and smashing her backwards followed up by a quick front kick that hammered into her chest. She was barely able to dodge his next attack, which was ki attack he called hadou-Gadoken, showing he had spent just a little too much time playing old fighter games at the arcade.

She responded by kicking him straight in the nuts. When she went for a hold and throw however, she found that the kick to the nuts (an admittedly small target on the ninja whose use of genetic upgrades had much the same impact on his lower regions as steroids) had not done as much damage as she could've hoped. He swiftly broke her grip and a hammer thrust slammed into the side of her chest. It was only because she was a were-person that that blow did not break a rib.

"That does it!" she yelled even as the blow lifted her off the ground. She grabbed his mask with the fingers on one hand, lifting it up to block his sight and then her other hand lashed out hitting several pressure points on his upper body before she dropped into a crouch, leg flashing out with a low kick to the back of his knee that took him off his feet. A follow up blow smashed into Daishi's face which sent him flying away to smash into a rock about 15 yards away.

She was about to follow up when a small violet haired rat sped past her face, transporting mid-air into Moisha, her leg lashing out in a kick. The kick was aimed at nothing or so Brittany thought at first, but then it was aimed at something as her foot connected with the face of Zelda, the bald, muscle building female minion of Pee-Wee's. The kick smashed into her face, throwing her backward and smashing her glasses as well as her nose. "Like, you can't out sneak a rat, girl!" Moisha shouted as she landed then shot forward to press her advantage. "Even like. if you are invisible you still smell! And, like take a shower or something, you stink!" Ionis and Zelda had almost stepped on her where she had been watching the Montara twins, but when that duo made their way inside she followed the two invisible people.

"Nice timing Moisha1" Brittany exclaimed grinning a little. "Let's hammer these guys and head over to their boss, the little brat has a spanking coming." Moisha didn't really know who these guys were, but she nodded nonetheless. The more she made herself useful, the more time she spent around Ranma, and the more money she would get for shopping!

The two goons joined up, but before the fight could recommence Ionis dispelled his invisibility spell and grabbed them both, then used a teleportation spell to get them all out of there. Brittany snapped in fingers. "Darn it, we almost had them.

Moisha shrugged. "Like, who are they, anyway? I was like watching those first two when I caught the scent of the bald girl, and like the other guy."

"Remind me not to underestimate your nose rat girl, and that kick you landed on her was sweet" said Brittany. "Come on, let's grab some food and some other stuff, then make our way back to the others, I'll fill you in on them and a few of our other enemies along the way." Moisha grinned and the two girls high-fived before heading over to the Gina mobile.

* * *

Ranma had left Sheila and Ryan to guard Gina (well just Sheila really, the redheaded brawler was pretty useless in his opinion) and was almost back to the entrance when he saw what looked like a giant humanoid made out of shadow suddenly rise up from the shadows of the floor reaching toward Montara.

Now Ranma really had no idea what the shadow thing was, or what their history was or anything like that, all he saw were twins backing away screaming and this huge thing rearing over them. SO he did the martial artist thing. "Moko Ha Reiku!" A beam of white light lanced out from his hand and hit the humanoid.

Rather than dissipate like he thought it would the thing screamed and broke into thousands of small black pieces, the element attack based on light being more damaging than any attack the beta phantom had ever run into before. He shrugged and ran towards the twins, who were backing away as more of the things came out of the walls and floors. "Get out of here you two! I got no idea why you're here but I don't think its worth this!"

The twins, who were scrambling away, too scared to let go of one another, looked over their shoulder at him, gratitude plain on their faces. Ranma killed two more of the things as the twins finally regained enough composure to run off, their hands still clasped tightly together. Well he assumed that was what he was doing, with these things it was hard to tell, perhaps the word should be dispersed rather than killed as they didn't seem to have any kind of substance to them except for their fists, which he dodged almost negligently.

Montara ran into Pee-wee and his goons, who were slowly making their way into the dark underground city. They were moving slowly to give Daishi time to recover from the pressure points attack Brittany had used on him. He still couldn't move his arms, and every time he tired pain shot through them. Zelda too was a bit battered because of Moisha's kick to the face, though her shattered glasses had actually done a little more damage than the kick itself. "Where the heck are you two going?" Pee-wee asked, moving next to Daishi just in case.

"Away, the twins said, their voices trembling with fear. 'This was all a trap, they are coming for us, we must get away quickly, while that bodyguard of Gina's holds them off."

Pee-wee blinked, shivering a little at the terror in the twins voices. Still he was made of sterner stuff and looked around at his goons about to order them forward when a Beta phantom came out of the wall in front of them, its hands outstretched and suddenly gleaming.

Zelda grabbed her boss and the group retreated quickly. With their best fighter unable to actually fight, they were at a major disadvantage. Behind them Brittany and Moisha showed up, Moisha chomping on a chocolate bar while Brittany was carrying a backpack with a beta weapon her sister had made, the beta ring. At the sight of the giant shadow thing and the retreating group Brittany growled, putting the beta ring over her wrist and charging forward. "Leave this thing to me Moisha, you've got nothing that will hurt it! And as for the rest of you, push off, your helicopters still here, get in it and get out of here, you don't know what the hell you're dealing with!"

Moisha nodded, and transformed into her rat mode, scampering forward. The big shadow thing ignored her dodging wildly as Brittany closed the distance between them with all her werecheetah given speed.

Pee-wee scowled a little, but seeing the fear on Montara's face, and knowing they were his only ride out of here, he ordered his minions to retreat. They did so with alacrity, with Zelda still carrying him under one arm. It might be undignified, but it was quick, and when another phantom joined in on the attack against Brittany that became even more important.

Moisha scampered around the fight, gaping for a minute at the amount of damage Brittany, then stopped and stared.

Ranma was now utterly surrounded by Beta phantoms. He couldn't dodge them all, but his training in the iron body technique came into play, and he had transformed into his werecat form for the added durability. None of his blows seemed to land, as the phantoms simply became shadow except for their fists when they hammered into him. Yet his initial ki attacks worked, so Ranma had decided to call up his element, and he now blazed like a whit dwarf with his element, his every touch cuasing the phantoms pain, and more and more of them came at him.

He landed next to Moisha in her rat form and muttered. "Get out of her Moisha-chan, there's nothing you can do here. See if you can find out where the hell they're coming from or meet up with the others."

Moisha nodded, not wanting to draw any attention her way. She whispered "Like okay, Ranma, I'll tell Brit and we'll skirt around this lot, like see ya later k?" with that she scampered off, and soon the two born were-people were moving past the giant fight. Moisha soon split off, heading into a small hole she spotted and moving deeper into the city on an oblique angle.

Brit made to join the fight congregating around Ranma, but he shook his head shouting over at her even as he killed on of the phantoms with a ki enhanced kick. "Get out of here Brit, if I'm having this much trouble the others'll have a lto fo trouble if they meet up with any of them!"

Brit frowned, but after a moment nodded. "Don't die on me, I mean us Ranma! We'll be back!" Ranma waved her off then killed another phantom and she ran off to join up with her sister.

* * *

Sheila had continued onward into the city with Gina, transforming into her full human form and picking the girl up when they came across some crevices blocking their way forward to where Penny and Charlotte were waiting for them. The fact that Gina had tried to make the first jump on her own after being ribbed by Penny had been amusing, yet potentially fatal, and Gina was very glad the werecat had grabbed her before she could try.

They were met halfway by Ryan, who had come out here with Penny the day before. He looked Sheila up and down, and then whistled appreciatively. Sheila had a genetic disorder, which made her human form stronger and tougher, as well as looking her real age than her werejaguar form. Her werejaguar form however had nearly five times the normal amount of regeneration speed that a normal werecat had, and thus was her preferred form. Yet it was obvious Ryan didn/t care about her strength, only the fact her human form was at least an EE cup. "Hey there pretty lady, what's a girl like you doing around these parts? I don't think we've ever been introduced, my name is Ryan, perhaps you've heard of me."

"Yes." Sheila growled a little tempted to push them over the side of the crevasse, as he came across as Earth's version of Tirga, which was something she really didn't want to deal with just now, especially not since Gina was glaring at the man, which indicated she might be interested in him. "Ranma's mentioned you a few times, he calls you a wannabe brawler, with an overinflated ego. Unless you want me to puncture that ego for you, I suggest you back off." With that she jumped ahead, her long stride and muscled body able to take the leaps easily.

Soon enough the two girls and Ryan met up with Charlotte and Penny, who were standing by a strange device set into the floor. Gina gasped as she saw what Penny had found. "You really did find one! An honest to goodness beta tomb!"

Penny looks down at her most recent find without any kind of propriety or joy in her eyes. Gina wasn't the only one that was spooked by this or any other kind of beta technology. The things it could do were simply unreal, hell they had found one that seemed linked to certain changes in the sun's mass, though the purpose of it eluded them. "Yeah," she said slowly, "and that's why I wanted you here. I have no idea what those letters mean on top, and I'm hoping you can tell us what they mean. Frankly, I'm hoping you can't tell me just as much, I think, I know this sounds wrong coming from me, but some things just should remain buried."

Rather than pouring scorn on that idea Gina merely nodded, taking out her trusty computer and getting to work on translating the odd writing. It almost looked like a cross between cuneiform and hieroglyphics, with a spattering of Aztec symbols, but what the whole message meant would need to wait.

Sheila changed back to her normal werejaguar body and Ryan stopped staring at her, moving over to try and flirt a bit with Gina, who ignored him with lordly disdain after the way he had been trying to flirt with Sheila right in front of her. For her part Sheila ignored their by-play looking over at Penny, trying desperately not to pounce on the strange bird woman, who looked rather tasty to her. "So, can you tell me a bit more about this place, I only heard a bit before Gina went off tangent about some Laura person. Brittany said they were called Saurians and something about fighting a war against dark invaders or something?"

Penny grinned at that. She loved ribbing Gina about her anger at Laura, but Charlotte glanced at her sharply from where she had been playing with a few stalactites, making faint ringing noises when she hit them with her claws. Penny sighed and decided to just answer the question. "This place was designed and built by the Saurians yes, the first race that developed intelligence and a civilization here on Earth. We're not certain what sparked it, but they were researching what we call beta tech when they came under attack from something they called the shadow race, beings made almost totally of shadow that most of their technology couldn't even touch, let alone injure. They wiped…. hey what's wrong?"

Sheila had backed away and brought out Ice Fang, looking around her warily, her face a mask or rage and fear. "What's wrong, what's wrong, the shadow race was the race that conquered Jade thousands of years ago! Millions died in their arenas when they pitted our ancestors against one another and millions more died when we rose up and overthrew them! And you people are here messing with something that could call those, those things back?! What the hell are you thinking!"

Gina looked up from where she was working in shock. "I've never heard that before, why didn't dad or mom tell us about that when they talked about Jade? And we need to know what we're dealing with here, one of the things we found the last time is still active and effecting our sun somehow, we need to know what its doing, or at the very least how to shut it down."

Sheila frowned, but calmed down a little at that. "Fine, but the moment we do we are getting the fuck out of here."

Gina nodded. "Well this beta tomb actually holds a Saurian judging by this writing, so we should be able to wake him up and answer some questions." She began to do just that, using the key they had found in their last trip here that could apparently manipulate all the devices in the city and was nearly finished when several Beta phantoms appeared from the shadows, lunging toward them.

Ryan reacted swiftly, shooting out with his new ki attack at one of them only to gape as it passed right through doing nothing. Penny backed off with Charlotte and Gina, but Sheila, faced with her people's worst nightmare made flesh, froze in terror, only her rigorous training letting her keep a grip on her sword as her mind simply blanked, her fur standing on end and her eyes wide and staring.

One of the shadows reached toward her and it was only the sudden arrival of Brittany with her beta ring already whirling away that saved her. A ring-aided punch smashed into the phantom and it squalled, falling back heavily injured. Brittany reached down and Shook Sheila, but seeing the shorter were-girl still catatonic she simply threw her over one shoulder and backed away. "What the hell have you guys been up to?!"

Her answer came not from her sister but the beta tomb shooting open and the Saurian within, who was not actually a Saurian but a robot made in their image, rising to grab one of the shadows in a three clawed hand, then hammering it with its other arm which was ringed with three beta rings. The blow completely disintegrated the target phantom, and all the phantoms around them turned to this new and greater threat. Charlotte gasped, her eyes going wide at the battle, looking between the phantoms and the Saurian fearfully.

"Waking up that Saurian!" Gina shouted back, "Where's Ranma and Moisha!?" Behind her Ryan was scrambling around the walls, looking for one of the devices they had found before and figured out the use of, a teleporter. He found it even as more phantoms appeared and he worked frantically trying to activate it as Penny punched in some coordinates.

"Holding back an army of those shadow things last time I saw him." Brittany said, making her way over to them and skirting wide form the battle now raging in the center of the room. "The guy sent me away to meet up with you, while Moisha went to scout out the area. They didn't seem to noitce her when she was in her rat form." At that very moment Moisha was indeed scouting around, though she had been a little, distracted, by what she had been finding hidden in the walls and in other points around the city.

"Damnit, what the hell, an army!? Ugh we are so screwed!" Penny yelled.

"Enough talking," Ryan said "the portal is forming! Let's get going, before the spillover from that fight reaches us." Indeed the portal had formed about twenty yards down corridor.

"I hear that," Penny answered, "let's get gone guys." She raced off, trusting the others to follow.

"I'm with you, Charlotte get the lead out!" Brittany shot forward into the teleportation ring carrying Sheila as Ryan grabbed up Gina and raced off as fast as he could.

* * *

Above them Ranma gaped as the phantoms he had been fighting backed away. The fight had done a lot of damage to the area around him, collapsing the tunnel leading toward where the others had gone, but at the same time opening up another. The things had him on the ropes, for everyone he killed a dozen more appeared, and he was slowly running out of ki, and he had taken a few blows of his own, slowing him down a little. "What in the world?"

One phantom moved forward from the rest, pointing down, then the others all disappeared into the floor. Ranma gaped as the last one followed then frowned. "Are they going after the others, but no, why would that one point down like that? Wouldn't they want to keep me here?"

Moisha scuttled out of a little hole in the wall a few feet away, transforming into her wererat body. She clung to Ranma's side her eyes alight with glee at something, and a large amount of lust at being around his werecat body. He large breasts, topped with her already hard nipples pushed into his side, causing him to blush even as he tried to concentrate on what was going on. "Like, did you scare them all away Ranma? That's like, so cool!"

Ranma shook his head, still blushing. "Nah, they just up and left."

Moisha frowned at that, moving back and looking around. "Huh, well, like, I scouted ahead a bit, I think, like I could lead us to the areas where the others have been before."

Ranma grinned giving her a brief hug. "Lead the way Mo-chan." Moisha giggled at the nickname and ran off, making certain to swing her hips as much as she could. This had a almost hypnotizing effect on Ranma despite his concern over what was going on with the others, and he followed after her swiftly.

* * *

The teleporting group landed safely on the other side in a bit of a tangle and Ryan got to his feet slowly, getting a quick feel of Gina's magnificent rear end before setting her on her the ground and looking around. "Where are we Penny?"

"About a mile away from where we were, near the gate connecting to the beta generator room we first found the last time we were here. We should be okay for a while."

Charlotte however had been quiet since the fight between the saurian robot and the phantoms began. Now she shouted "Penny! We made a horrible mistake! We need to get go back and help those poor phantoms before that mean old saurian kills them all! We should never have set the saurian free!"

Brittany turned to her in surprise. "Are you crazy girl, those beta phantoms are stone cold murderers! The saurian is our only hope against them! Well, him and Ranma for some reason but…."

Charlotte flinched a little at Brittany's cold stone, but shot back "who-who have they killed?"

Brittany paused as she tried to answer and realized she couldn't. Oh sure the things had attacked them, and Montara and were even now fighting Ranma, but they actually hadn't killed anyone. "Gina," she said out of the corner of her mouth, "help me out here."

"I have to agree with Brittany this time Charlotte, it's true the beta phantoms haven't killed anyone yet, but even you admit must admit they have tried and continue to do so. You remember when one of them was chasing us through these very halls the last time don't you?" Gina answered, not even bothering to move from where she was sitting just yet.

Brittany said "that's right, I was thinking the same thing, I can't believe you're trying to defend those creeps." Sheila began to stir on her shoulder, and Brittany paused in her harangue to put the werejaguar on her feet. Sheila looked around them then sighed in relief for a moment, leaning against the wall as she got control of herself.

Charlotte for once however had thought ahead. "I-I also remember how fast the beta phantoms were, one even caught Brittany while she was running at top speed in the open desert above us! D-doesn't that mean it could have caught us while we were moving so slow in these confined tunnels, if-if it wanted..." She trialed off, looking at the others who were also looking at one another now. Sheila, who was now following the discussion, frowned a little. That did sound weird to her, the Shadows Jade had fought had been ruthless killers, not known for playing with their victims like that.

Brittany turned and asked Penny for some help this time and the dark skinned genius took up the challenge. "Charlotte, you mustn't forget the glyphs and writings we found describing the phantoms and the great catastrophe that it caused. We released the saurian so that it could help us prevent the phantoms from killing the whole human race just like they killed the saurian race."

Brittany sighed with relief knowing that would sway the stubborn Phoenix girl patting Penny on the head. "There you go, see?"

"Those writings and things, didn't, didn't the saurian we just released write them?" said Charlotte in a small voice, poking her claws together

That shut up all three of the girls, and Ryan looked at them as Brittany turned to him for his help. "I say, if Charlotte can beat Brittany, Gina and Penny in this debate its time to start considering her side of the argument."

"Okay but what about those silver blades the first phantom we ran into had? They might to be mass murders, but they sure as hell were trying to kill me!" Birt shouted, hands on her hips and along the wall Sheila nodded. That sounded much more like the Shadows she knew about.

Gina answered her this time. "I think I have an idea where the blades came from Brit, the Gina-mobile it absorbed was equipped with them. You know how Brianna gets, she'll add weapons to anything and everything. It may have misunderstood their function from the file Brianna wrote along with the blades control program. She wrote and I quote, 'for clearing paths, removing obstacles or when you really want to make a great first impression'."

Charlotte cocked her head quizzically. "But the Phantom wasn't silvery when Penny and I first saw, it was still dark colored when I ran away, and it was dark colored right until Penny shot at it with all her crossbow arrows, including her special secret silver arrows." She was interrupted by Penny putting her hand over her mouth and trying to shush her but it was too late.

Sheila shook her head, interrupting Brittany who had just been about to shout at Penny for carrying silver weapons. Silver was no joke to were-people, it was like literally having your soul burned. "I don't know anything about the saurian, but those beta phantoms are bad news! Like I said before they match the descriptions passed down for eons about the Shadows, the race that enslaved all of Jade in the distant past! They're like, they're like bogeyman, there are places on Jade that still bear the scars of our war against them, and we still haven't fully recovered from the war in terms of population even today. There's still some debate about whether we succeeded in overthrowing them at all or if they just left for their own reasons, but they were bad news! Ice Fang and hundreds of other weapons were made just to fight them!" She shok her head a little, remembering how she had frozen earlier, and vowing that she would redeem herself the next time.

"Maybe we've been going about this all wrong," said Gina thoughtfully. "After all, humans aren't all alike so why would beta phantoms be? Maybe they were led by a warlike leader at some point in their past, which would explain why Jade was invaded. And maybe something else happened here, maybe the Saurian's started the war here, and the phantoms simply want to have peace now or something. Junkies, that could explain why they are fighting Ranma too, the fact he can hurt them might have forced them to take a stronger stance."

"That might make sense," said Ryan thoughtfully while Sheila scowled but had to concede the point. It stuck in her craw, but even the Shadows could have changed in the thousands of years since they were thrown out of Jade.

At this point the giant saurian robot burst into the generator room they were hiding in blocking the exit, its sudden appearance causing Sheila to turn toward it with her sword raised. The phantoms may have frozen her in terror, but she had faced bigger and larger enemies than the saurian before. True, she had always had her friends by her side, but Brittany's help wasn't going anything to sneeze at.

After a moment of staring down at them, the robot spoke in a gravelly tone, its voice sounding like what a tomb would if it could speak. "Greetings friend's."

Brittany gaped, though Sheila kept her blade at the ready, "what the…"

"He must've accessed the city's central computer," said Penny whispering out of the side of her mouth to the larger cheetah girl. "Gina and I left it some mail, 'this is our language' the history of the world, 'we're your friends' that kind of thing." Brittany nodded and Penny went on, "Play along okay at least until we can get out of here and figure out what is really going on."

"Where is Gina?" the robot asked, looming over them.

Gina moved forward a little, trying to control her fear. "Hi I'm Gina, I guess you read the message we…"

"Why was the door locked friends?" The robot spoke in its gravelly tones, overriding Gina and terrorizing her at the same time.

Gina said. "W-we were only ta-taking safety precautions…"

"Don't let it happen again friends," said the voice again, even more menacing somehow.

Sheila was watching this, slowly moving around the Saurian to its side, her eyes locked on the dangerous thing.

What she should have been watching was Charlotte, who had been muttering under her breath to psych herself up. The phoenix girl was a surprisingly courageous girl, especially when she knew that she was in the right. The way the Phantom's had died fighting the saurian had traumatized her a little, and it had taken her a while to work up her courage when actually faced with the giant robot thing, but when she did she left no room for any misinterpretation of her position. "You're no friends of ours Mr. Saurian!" she shouted, pointing at the beast. "A friend is someone who cares for you, helps you anyway they can, you just want to pretend to be our friend to get us to help you kill the phantoms! Well, we're going to stop you because you're mean and, and plus we don't like you!"

Penny grabbed her arm, her teeth clenched in fear and her voice squeaky with it. "Charlotte! Now is not the time to get all brave." It was all she could do to stand up her legs were shaking so badly.

"NO, she's right," Brittany said firmly, and the Phantom ring began to spin around her think her hand. "In fact I should've been the one to make that speech. We can't let this guy push us around! And I'm through running away! Dino boy!" she shouted, you're going down!" Ryan girrned too, eager to see what his moves would to do a more substantial target.

As Gina and Penny looked at one another in terror the robot seem to chuckle a little. "Good, rather be true enemy then false friend. Wanted to thank you for releasing me friends!"

Ryan Sheila and Brittany sped forward, but while the other two ran headfirst into the battle, Sheila stayed back a little circling around, knowing that the best way to fight someone bigger than you was to hamstring them. The thing retreated, almost as if the other two were beating it back, and Charlotte flew forward to join the fray. But Sheila was on the lookout, and when one of its arms reared back and thrust forward faster than it had previously been moving she was ready. She couldn't stop it from using its beta rings to pulp the bones in Brittany's legs, but she slashed in swiftly into the still thrust forward arm, Ice Fang cutting through a portion of its armor on that wrist. With a fizzle and a scream of tortured metal the Phantom rings on that hand winked out, and Sheila gasped as a foot came up smacking her away, but she rolled, unhurt thanks to her speedy regeneration, her sword raised, waiting for another opening.

Ryan rushed in, throwing one of his newly learned ki attacks into the things face, and while he didn't do any damage that attack blinded it for just a second. Using that second Sheila got behind it and sliced out one of its legs right behind me, hamstringing one of its legs. A wild blow from it's forearm struck her aside, but she wasn't hit by one of the rings and so was able to bounce off the wall and come back into the fight just as before.

The thing wasn't happy or pleased with the fighting longer in fact he was retreating further and further from the room, trying to put some space between it and Sheila. _Or perhaps it was Sheila's weapon, _Brittany thought as she looked up from the ground she had landed on, unable to move at this point. The damage Sheila's magic imbued blade had done to the saurian was impressive considering Ryan and Charlottes best attacks hadn't even scratched it, and her own use of the beta-ring hadn't done much either.

At this point the phantoms showed up again, and they joined the battle against the saurian. Sheila cringed a little but Ranma and Moisha also showed up, and Ranma rushed forward slamming a hard ki attack into the saurian. The key attacks had proven deadly against the shadows, but against the saurian it didn't do much except scorch the metal at little. As one of the phantoms died under a hammer blow from the saurian's one working ring-imbued fist, he changed tactics and started to slice away at the thing using his cat fist claws, having not returned to his normal body just yet. The thing screeched in agony and fell back further, trying desperately to keep the two werecats at bay

Just like the shadows, the creature had ignored Moisha who had arrived in her rat form, Ranma being able to run far faster than she could forcing her to change forms to hitch a ride. She used this ignorance to her advantage and she scampered up its side and onto its head. She swiftly transformed as she moved over its eyes, and pulled a stiletto out and tried to stab them out. This didn't actually do anything but it took the things attention off the others for a few seconds before she jumped away from a blow form the arm that didn't have working beta rings.

Ranma rushed forward and landed a Moko dai Ranbu on its face, blowing it back in through the wall simply because of momentum, though the attack did take out its eyes on that side of it's face. The thing still tried to rise, but Sheila rushed around it again, and again her sword flashed out destroying it's one remaining kneecap and the thing fell forward.

Brittany's healing factor kicked in by this time, and she was back on her feet. As Ryan, Ranma and the shadows kept the beast busy trying to defend itself where it lay she charged in from his blind side, with the ring already moving quickly around her hand as fast as she could make it go. Her fist slammed into the things side right where a few of Ranma's cat fist claw attacks hit it, weakening the armor. The area under her blow immediately exploded and the thing shrieked as it fell to the ground. The phantoms surged forward, and soon the thing stopped moving at all.

Ranma moved over to join the others, standing in front of them between them and the phantoms. His hands began to glow with his element power, but the phantoms, after an initial move toward the humans moved back.

Instead of attacking one of them moved forward alone and said "leave this place. There are more dangers than Befadoc here. We guard, we defend, but we cannot protect those who come here, all unknowing."

Gina frowned a little, "But, but there is so much you could tell us! Why, who started the war between you and the Saurians, where do you come from?" She looked over at Sheila, who, now that the saurian was down was frozen in fear, being so near to her world's most deadly enemy. Only knowing Ranma was standing next other and had proven bale to fight them kept her from being completely paralyzed. The others were little better after their brush with the saurian, the hate and malice that thing put off had been disturbing to say the least, and Moisha and Ranma were a little freaked about their own run-ins with the shadows. "And why did you people conquer Jade so long ago?"

The shadow shook its head. "You must search for your own answers, ours would not satisfy you. Now, leave!"

Gina gulped and the nodded. The group left quickly after that, using one of her devices to find a way back to the surface as quickly as possible. About an hour later they came out above ground and Gina called Ace for pickup. The others simply slumped against some handy rocks but Ryan sighed. "Another 'purely scientific' discovery! No gems, no goods, no nothing to show for it that could help our bank accounts. What a waste of time!"

Penny was about to bring him to task about his attitude but Moisha simply giggled a little. "Like, I wouldn't say that," she caroled. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the bag of holding that Ranma had given her a few weeks ago when they first met. She reached inside and pulled out a several large jewels, as well as a figurine of a Saurian made all in gold. As everyone else looked at her She giggled again and said "what, like, you didn't think I spent all the time running around just looking for the shadows did you?"

Brittany high fived her and Ranma just grinned while Gina smirked a little. "Welcome to the team Moisha. I think we're going to get on just fine." Moisha laughed and the others added their own agreement to that statement.

End chapter.

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as always read and review. Also, i just don;t have time to read all the GD issues, does anyone know if it has a wiki page?


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